THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING MOSES
I've been spending a lot of time on the Fallen Flesh Negative. Our lostness has left us floundering. Humanity fixed on it's need for God and went everywhere BUT God. The sexual division caused by the Fall led to both sexes seeking domination and personal godhood through modifications of God to suit them. This went on through PreLaw and into today by those who don't know Christ and even by we who do know Him. The human struggle constantly focused on nature, the larger aspect of Creation, the stars in astrology, potions and spells in Wicca, forces of nature given faces in stone, in paints, and worshiped in the hope they could be cajoled, persuaded, misdirected and humans saw nature as God when other humans didn't fit the bill.
But the echo of the total plan of God reverberated, reverberates behind the scene to the lost, in the open to the saved, to the People.
Return to Moses at that burning bush. Hear the conversation yet again:
Moses: I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
God: Moses, Moses. Here am I. Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
(And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.)
Jehovah: I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: moreover I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Moses: Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
God: Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
Moses: Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?
God: I AM THAT I AM: Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us: and now let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God. And I know that the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will put forth my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall despoil the Egyptians.
Moses: But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, Jehovah hath not appeared unto thee.
Jehovah: What is that in thy hand?
Moses: A rod.
Jehovah: Cast in on the ground.
(And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.)
Jehovah: Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail: (and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand:) That they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
Put now thy hand into thy bosom.
(And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.)
God: Put thy hand into thy bosom again. (And he put his hand into his bosom again; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.) And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
Moses: Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
Jehovah: Who hath made man's mouth? Or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, Jehovah? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak.
Moses: Oh, Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.
( And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses)
God: Is there not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him as God. And thou shalt take in thy hand this rod, wherewith thou shalt do the signs
Matt Henry first:
Ver. 16.
Moses is here more particularly instructed in his work, and informed beforehand of his success.
1. He must deal with the elders of Israel, and raise their expectation of a speedy removal to Canaan, Ex 3:16-17. He must repeat to them what God had said to him, as a faithful ambassador. Note, That which ministers have received of the Lord they must deliver to his people, and keep back nothing that is profitable. Lay an emphasis on that, Ex 3:17:
"I have said, I will bring you up; that is enough to satisfy them, I have said it:"
Hath he spoken, and will he not make it good? With us saying and doing are two things, but they are not so with God, for he is in one mind and who can turn him?
"I have said it, and all the world cannot gainsay it. My counsel shall stand."
His success with the elders of Israel would be good; so he is told (Ex 3:18): They shall hearken to thy voice, and not thrust thee away as they did forty years ago. He who, by his grace, inclines the heart, and opens the ear, could say beforehand, They shall hearken to thy voice, having determined to make them willing in this day of power.
2. He must deal with the king of Egypt (Ex 3:18), he and the elders of Israel, and in this they must not begin with a demand, but with a humble petition; that gentle and submissive method must be first tried, even with one who, it was certain, would not be wrought upon by it: We beseech thee, let us go. Moreover, they must only beg leave of Pharaoh to go as far as Mount Sinai to worship God, and say nothing to him of going quite away to Canaan; the latter would have been immediately rejected, but the former was a very modest and reasonable request, and his denying it was utterly inexcusable and justified them in the total deserting of his kingdom. If he would not give them leave to go and sacrifice at Sinai, justly did they go without leave to settle in Canaan. Note, The calls and commands which God sends to sinners are so highly reasonable in themselves, and delivered to them in such a gentle winning way, that the mouth of the disobedient must needs be for ever stopped. As to his success with Pharaoh, Moses is here told,
(1.) That petitions, and persuasions, and humble remonstrances, would not prevail with him, no, nor a mighty hand stretched out in signs and wonders: I am sure he will not let you go, Ex 3:19. Note, God sends his messengers to those whose hardness and obstinacy he certainly knows and foresees, that it may appear he would have them turn and live.
(2.) That plagues should compel him to it: I will smite Egypt, and then he will let you go, Ex 3:20. Note, Those will certainly be broken by the power of God's hand that will not bow to the power of his word; we may be sure that when God judges he will overcome.
(3.) That his people should be more kind to them, and furnish them at their departure with abundance of plate and jewels, to their great enriching: I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, Ex 3:21-22. Note,
[1.] God sometimes makes the enemies of his people, not only to be at peace with them, but to be kind to them.
[2.] God has many ways of balancing accounts between the injured and the injurious, of righting the oppressed, and compelling those that have done wrong to make restitution; for he sits in the throne judging right.
God hasn't had a long relationship with anyone save Enoch, Noah and the early descendants of Abraham's line since the Fall. He's spent a lot of time on debridement. The sin infection reddens and swells and boils must be lanced in Sodom or whole tumors must be excised as in the Flood. Nature roils under the burden and takes lives and God stills an earthquake before it creates an Atlantis or He calms a sandstorm before Babylon is engulfed. He lets disease take some, spares others, knowing full well what advances His plan. Men ask why this is happening to them when, as Jesus will later point out, they should ask why anyone is spared.
But now He begins His time with His people. He has prepared their leader.
Later the people will demand a king early and God will give them Saul to let them see that their demands for NOW were not correct and that they should have trusted him THEN in THAT decision. But giving them what they wanted led to David almost being killed by Saul, to David marrying Saul's widow to insure his kingship, to David choosing to have multiple wives in violation of the Law, to God's man then acting like an other Earthly king. Without Saul, David could have stepped right in and been the king. Instead, he refused to violate God's choice of Saul or to overthrow Saul. David' best friend Jonathan died with his father, Saul, on the battlefield where neither would have been had the crowd not made it's demands for a king RIGHT NOW. Of course, they didn't learn. Anymore than they would learn from Egypt, any more than some of us ever learn.
Humanity seems to have no sense of history. At times it seems a uniquely American thing, but it never has been, We sometimes blame our own lack of historical reference on media blitzes and subliminals. How else, we reason, can you explain electing people whose economic policies crashed the economy only eight years before and brought the world to the point of a devastating monetary depression, one which lost houses and homes and jobs worldwide. People who espouse the very same idiocy!
Yet, these millennia ago, no Fox News, no alt-right talk radio, no multimillionaire spokesmen for the "cause of the people", no Twitter-heads, the Hebrews will soon cry to go back to slavery. Mull it over until next time.
Meanwhile, instead look at Moses in this instance. He resists God's call. He wants God to know that Moses has realized his own weakness. He's eighty. He has been working for his father-in-law who is the priest of Midian. He has learned a good deal from the priest about piety and humility. He has lived two lifetimes, one as the prince, one as the beggar who married well, who learned to have his father-in-law's beliefs, 40 years each. Drawn artfully by God. most of us would likely think as Moses seems to think: "I had it all. Now I'm lucky enough to have a rich wife and work I do well and a father-in-law who thinks the world of me, so I guess this is my life now, for the foreseeable future. Safe, secure, boringly normal. Not head of the civilized world, but it will do for this last part of my life."
But God laughed again. Moses didn't do a Sarah and scoff; he reacted as we all might.
"Wait a minute, you want me to go up against the most powerful king in the world with a staff and a withered flesh trick? You know, I don't speak very well to a crowd..."
Just the way a kid will try and get out of his chores...
"Okay, let Aaron talk for you. Centuries from now, I'll give a guy named Elvis Aron a great voice just because I love irony. Now stop it with the excuses. I've got the next third of your life ready for you. I also like threes, by the way."
He has a similar conversation with all of us if we listen. He takes away a job, He lets credit go bad. Someone dies, someone leaves someone. An accident. A fortune arrives. A cruise goes wrong or romantically right. Something changes that wasn't supposed to change, that was always going to be the same. And life enters another phase, one never foreseen. One fearful, risky, at odds with others, with the world.
Perhaps for forty years or more. Perhaps only five minutes. Perhaps He allows a Paul to go to prison so he will have time to write letters that become the backbone of Christianity. Perhaps he allows a James to run a church based on rules even as he grasps grace. Perhaps to get a daughter or son saved. Perhaps to liberate the People, Trapped in an Egypt.
But more is going on here. God enters a new relationship with His people. One we are more used to that you might think.
First, he appears in fire to his prophet. Just as he appeared in tongues of fire to his apostles. just as he leads the Israelis as a pillar of fire in the night.
Next, he gives extremely detailed instructions on his mission. He lets the prophet know the risks, know the reasons for the mission. He explains the spiritual gifts he has given, the staff and the withered hand. He says to use the gifts to change the heart of those who will listen. Though He will harden the hearts, He still gives an order to speak to them. Give them a chance to hear even though He knows they won't.
Just as He gave us the detailed instructions of the Bible analyzed by a genius named Paul, who we just mentioned was left in prison to write the detailing. Jesus told us to count the cost before we join up and continued to tell us we'll likely get killed over the choice. He gives us spiritual gifts to use for HIS cause. Unlike the leader, Moses, many of our current leaders choose to use them for their gain, choose to commercialize their properties on TV and turn them into entertainment rather than to turn the lost to God. Lie about their meaning and turn the gifts into gods for their users, subvert the truth as Pharaoh's priests, become those priests, entertaining the rich for the accumulation of their own riches, act like every pagan priest, even the pagan priests who use media today to preach neo-paganism and recruit more souls for Hell and the lake of fire. And we wait for God's snake to swallow theirs as it did for Moses. It often has: theme park plans blew up, lies about whores in limos arose, magic tricks subbing as miracles were revealed, but liars still sell tap water as a blessed cure. If they get to heaven, they will likely have to,answer to Moses after God get's done with them. I keep thinking of the term: "special place in Hell."
And He wants us evangelizing. Though they may not hear. We are all supposed to say.
Now He also leads as a pillar of fire, the Holy Spirit, inside. in the darkness of our Fallen souls. Leading us through the spiritual night all around.
God begins this new relationship with Man through Moses. God has been giving few rules, none written. He starts with one man. It will always be one-to-one. But now he will give the Law, the rules to live by, but also the rules to describe the way His Son will act when incarnated. These rules will be for health (No pork. No shellfish. Trichinosis and cholesterol. No eating mice and vermin, Worms.) (Fasting for dietary and spiritual reasons). Relationships (Obeying parents and leaders; worshiping only the true God; keeping marriages pure; opening the doors for others to join the family; slave treatment).
Rules for governing.
Rules to make sure the poor and elderly are taken care of properly. Gleaning. Tithes for the purpose. Taxes, if you will. The government had a responsibility to handle the problem when the family couldn't. (I would contend that taking care of the poor, the widows and orphans the programs begun under LBJ, along with our support of Israel have kept the USA wealthy and well through fifty years until we suddenly thought they were too expensive and oil mattered more than Israel. The failure put our hearts into God's direct orders to car for the poor, orders repeated over and over, led to the economic crash as surely as the same failure by Israel led to their foreign captivity.) The Big Ten detailed.
Lest you think this is some kind of liberal hoo-haw please look at this list:
https://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/poor.htm
One thing more:
And, back on script, throughout God has this relationship. Moses and God. Talking things through. Moses defending the Hebrews against God's anger. God defending them from Moses' anger. One or the other threatening to wipe out this hard headed, hard hearted people.
The people.
Now to discuss the people.
I've been spending a lot of time on the Fallen Flesh Negative. Our lostness has left us floundering. Humanity fixed on it's need for God and went everywhere BUT God. The sexual division caused by the Fall led to both sexes seeking domination and personal godhood through modifications of God to suit them. This went on through PreLaw and into today by those who don't know Christ and even by we who do know Him. The human struggle constantly focused on nature, the larger aspect of Creation, the stars in astrology, potions and spells in Wicca, forces of nature given faces in stone, in paints, and worshiped in the hope they could be cajoled, persuaded, misdirected and humans saw nature as God when other humans didn't fit the bill.
But the echo of the total plan of God reverberated, reverberates behind the scene to the lost, in the open to the saved, to the People.
Return to Moses at that burning bush. Hear the conversation yet again:
Moses: I will turn aside now, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.
God: Moses, Moses. Here am I. Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
(And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.)
Jehovah: I have surely seen the affliction of my people that are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite. And now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: moreover I have seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
Moses: Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
God: Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be the token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
Moses: Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them?
God: I AM THAT I AM: Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us: and now let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God. And I know that the king of Egypt will not give you leave to go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will put forth my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall despoil the Egyptians.
Moses: But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, Jehovah hath not appeared unto thee.
Jehovah: What is that in thy hand?
Moses: A rod.
Jehovah: Cast in on the ground.
(And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.)
Jehovah: Put forth thy hand, and take it by the tail: (and he put forth his hand, and laid hold of it, and it became a rod in his hand:) That they may believe that Jehovah, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.
Put now thy hand into thy bosom.
(And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous, as white as snow.)
God: Put thy hand into thy bosom again. (And he put his hand into his bosom again; and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh.) And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe even these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.
Moses: Oh, Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
Jehovah: Who hath made man's mouth? Or who maketh a man dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, Jehovah? Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak.
Moses: Oh, Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send.
( And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Moses)
God: Is there not Aaron thy brother the Levite? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart.
And thou shalt speak unto him, and put the words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and it shall come to pass, that he shall be to thee a mouth, and thou shalt be to him as God. And thou shalt take in thy hand this rod, wherewith thou shalt do the signs
Matt Henry first:
Ver. 16.
Moses is here more particularly instructed in his work, and informed beforehand of his success.
1. He must deal with the elders of Israel, and raise their expectation of a speedy removal to Canaan, Ex 3:16-17. He must repeat to them what God had said to him, as a faithful ambassador. Note, That which ministers have received of the Lord they must deliver to his people, and keep back nothing that is profitable. Lay an emphasis on that, Ex 3:17:
"I have said, I will bring you up; that is enough to satisfy them, I have said it:"
Hath he spoken, and will he not make it good? With us saying and doing are two things, but they are not so with God, for he is in one mind and who can turn him?
"I have said it, and all the world cannot gainsay it. My counsel shall stand."
His success with the elders of Israel would be good; so he is told (Ex 3:18): They shall hearken to thy voice, and not thrust thee away as they did forty years ago. He who, by his grace, inclines the heart, and opens the ear, could say beforehand, They shall hearken to thy voice, having determined to make them willing in this day of power.
2. He must deal with the king of Egypt (Ex 3:18), he and the elders of Israel, and in this they must not begin with a demand, but with a humble petition; that gentle and submissive method must be first tried, even with one who, it was certain, would not be wrought upon by it: We beseech thee, let us go. Moreover, they must only beg leave of Pharaoh to go as far as Mount Sinai to worship God, and say nothing to him of going quite away to Canaan; the latter would have been immediately rejected, but the former was a very modest and reasonable request, and his denying it was utterly inexcusable and justified them in the total deserting of his kingdom. If he would not give them leave to go and sacrifice at Sinai, justly did they go without leave to settle in Canaan. Note, The calls and commands which God sends to sinners are so highly reasonable in themselves, and delivered to them in such a gentle winning way, that the mouth of the disobedient must needs be for ever stopped. As to his success with Pharaoh, Moses is here told,
(1.) That petitions, and persuasions, and humble remonstrances, would not prevail with him, no, nor a mighty hand stretched out in signs and wonders: I am sure he will not let you go, Ex 3:19. Note, God sends his messengers to those whose hardness and obstinacy he certainly knows and foresees, that it may appear he would have them turn and live.
(2.) That plagues should compel him to it: I will smite Egypt, and then he will let you go, Ex 3:20. Note, Those will certainly be broken by the power of God's hand that will not bow to the power of his word; we may be sure that when God judges he will overcome.
(3.) That his people should be more kind to them, and furnish them at their departure with abundance of plate and jewels, to their great enriching: I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, Ex 3:21-22. Note,
[1.] God sometimes makes the enemies of his people, not only to be at peace with them, but to be kind to them.
[2.] God has many ways of balancing accounts between the injured and the injurious, of righting the oppressed, and compelling those that have done wrong to make restitution; for he sits in the throne judging right.
God hasn't had a long relationship with anyone save Enoch, Noah and the early descendants of Abraham's line since the Fall. He's spent a lot of time on debridement. The sin infection reddens and swells and boils must be lanced in Sodom or whole tumors must be excised as in the Flood. Nature roils under the burden and takes lives and God stills an earthquake before it creates an Atlantis or He calms a sandstorm before Babylon is engulfed. He lets disease take some, spares others, knowing full well what advances His plan. Men ask why this is happening to them when, as Jesus will later point out, they should ask why anyone is spared.
But now He begins His time with His people. He has prepared their leader.
Later the people will demand a king early and God will give them Saul to let them see that their demands for NOW were not correct and that they should have trusted him THEN in THAT decision. But giving them what they wanted led to David almost being killed by Saul, to David marrying Saul's widow to insure his kingship, to David choosing to have multiple wives in violation of the Law, to God's man then acting like an other Earthly king. Without Saul, David could have stepped right in and been the king. Instead, he refused to violate God's choice of Saul or to overthrow Saul. David' best friend Jonathan died with his father, Saul, on the battlefield where neither would have been had the crowd not made it's demands for a king RIGHT NOW. Of course, they didn't learn. Anymore than they would learn from Egypt, any more than some of us ever learn.
Humanity seems to have no sense of history. At times it seems a uniquely American thing, but it never has been, We sometimes blame our own lack of historical reference on media blitzes and subliminals. How else, we reason, can you explain electing people whose economic policies crashed the economy only eight years before and brought the world to the point of a devastating monetary depression, one which lost houses and homes and jobs worldwide. People who espouse the very same idiocy!
Yet, these millennia ago, no Fox News, no alt-right talk radio, no multimillionaire spokesmen for the "cause of the people", no Twitter-heads, the Hebrews will soon cry to go back to slavery. Mull it over until next time.
Meanwhile, instead look at Moses in this instance. He resists God's call. He wants God to know that Moses has realized his own weakness. He's eighty. He has been working for his father-in-law who is the priest of Midian. He has learned a good deal from the priest about piety and humility. He has lived two lifetimes, one as the prince, one as the beggar who married well, who learned to have his father-in-law's beliefs, 40 years each. Drawn artfully by God. most of us would likely think as Moses seems to think: "I had it all. Now I'm lucky enough to have a rich wife and work I do well and a father-in-law who thinks the world of me, so I guess this is my life now, for the foreseeable future. Safe, secure, boringly normal. Not head of the civilized world, but it will do for this last part of my life."
But God laughed again. Moses didn't do a Sarah and scoff; he reacted as we all might.
"Wait a minute, you want me to go up against the most powerful king in the world with a staff and a withered flesh trick? You know, I don't speak very well to a crowd..."
Just the way a kid will try and get out of his chores...
"Okay, let Aaron talk for you. Centuries from now, I'll give a guy named Elvis Aron a great voice just because I love irony. Now stop it with the excuses. I've got the next third of your life ready for you. I also like threes, by the way."
He has a similar conversation with all of us if we listen. He takes away a job, He lets credit go bad. Someone dies, someone leaves someone. An accident. A fortune arrives. A cruise goes wrong or romantically right. Something changes that wasn't supposed to change, that was always going to be the same. And life enters another phase, one never foreseen. One fearful, risky, at odds with others, with the world.
Perhaps for forty years or more. Perhaps only five minutes. Perhaps He allows a Paul to go to prison so he will have time to write letters that become the backbone of Christianity. Perhaps he allows a James to run a church based on rules even as he grasps grace. Perhaps to get a daughter or son saved. Perhaps to liberate the People, Trapped in an Egypt.
But more is going on here. God enters a new relationship with His people. One we are more used to that you might think.
First, he appears in fire to his prophet. Just as he appeared in tongues of fire to his apostles. just as he leads the Israelis as a pillar of fire in the night.
Next, he gives extremely detailed instructions on his mission. He lets the prophet know the risks, know the reasons for the mission. He explains the spiritual gifts he has given, the staff and the withered hand. He says to use the gifts to change the heart of those who will listen. Though He will harden the hearts, He still gives an order to speak to them. Give them a chance to hear even though He knows they won't.
Just as He gave us the detailed instructions of the Bible analyzed by a genius named Paul, who we just mentioned was left in prison to write the detailing. Jesus told us to count the cost before we join up and continued to tell us we'll likely get killed over the choice. He gives us spiritual gifts to use for HIS cause. Unlike the leader, Moses, many of our current leaders choose to use them for their gain, choose to commercialize their properties on TV and turn them into entertainment rather than to turn the lost to God. Lie about their meaning and turn the gifts into gods for their users, subvert the truth as Pharaoh's priests, become those priests, entertaining the rich for the accumulation of their own riches, act like every pagan priest, even the pagan priests who use media today to preach neo-paganism and recruit more souls for Hell and the lake of fire. And we wait for God's snake to swallow theirs as it did for Moses. It often has: theme park plans blew up, lies about whores in limos arose, magic tricks subbing as miracles were revealed, but liars still sell tap water as a blessed cure. If they get to heaven, they will likely have to,answer to Moses after God get's done with them. I keep thinking of the term: "special place in Hell."
And He wants us evangelizing. Though they may not hear. We are all supposed to say.
Now He also leads as a pillar of fire, the Holy Spirit, inside. in the darkness of our Fallen souls. Leading us through the spiritual night all around.
God begins this new relationship with Man through Moses. God has been giving few rules, none written. He starts with one man. It will always be one-to-one. But now he will give the Law, the rules to live by, but also the rules to describe the way His Son will act when incarnated. These rules will be for health (No pork. No shellfish. Trichinosis and cholesterol. No eating mice and vermin, Worms.) (Fasting for dietary and spiritual reasons). Relationships (Obeying parents and leaders; worshiping only the true God; keeping marriages pure; opening the doors for others to join the family; slave treatment).
Rules for governing.
Rules to make sure the poor and elderly are taken care of properly. Gleaning. Tithes for the purpose. Taxes, if you will. The government had a responsibility to handle the problem when the family couldn't. (I would contend that taking care of the poor, the widows and orphans the programs begun under LBJ, along with our support of Israel have kept the USA wealthy and well through fifty years until we suddenly thought they were too expensive and oil mattered more than Israel. The failure put our hearts into God's direct orders to car for the poor, orders repeated over and over, led to the economic crash as surely as the same failure by Israel led to their foreign captivity.) The Big Ten detailed.
Lest you think this is some kind of liberal hoo-haw please look at this list:
https://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/poor.htm
- "Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan." Exodus 22:22
- "Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits." Exodus 23:6
- "During the seventh year, let the land lie unplowed and unused. Then the poor among your people may get food from it, and the wild animals may eat what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove." Exodus 23:11
- "Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 19:10
- "Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly." Leviticus 19:15
- "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus 23:22
- "If one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells some of his property, his nearest relative is to come and redeem what his countryman has sold. . . . If one of your countrymen becomes poor and is unable to support himself among you, help him as you would an alien or a temporary resident, so he can continue to live among you. . . . If one of your countrymen becomes poor among you and sells himself to you, do not make him work as a slave." Leviticus 25:25, 35, 39
- "If an alien or a temporary resident among you becomes rich and one of your countrymen becomes poor and sells himself to the alien living among you or to a member of the alien's clan, he retains the right of redemption." Leviticus 25:47-48
- "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." Deuteronomy 10:18
- "At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied." Deuteronomy 14:28-29
- "However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you." Deuteronomy 15:4
- "If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother." Deuteronomy 15:7
- "Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near, so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin." Deuteronomy 15:9
- "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11
- "Do not take advantage of a hired man who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother Israelite or an alien living in one of your towns." Deuteronomy 24:14
- "Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge." Deuteronomy 24:17
- "When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow. When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the alien, the fatherless and the widow." Deuteronomy 24:19-21
- "'Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow.' Then all the people shall say, Amen!'" Deuteronomy 27:19
- "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor." 1 Samuel 2:8
- "as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor." Esther 9:22
- "When daylight is gone, the murderer rises up and kills the poor and needy; in the night he steals forth like a thief." Job 24:14
- "because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him." Job 29:12
- "Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor?" Job 30:25
- "If I have denied the desires of the poor or let the eyes of the widow grow weary." Job 31:16
- "The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble." Psalm 9:9
- "But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish." Psalm 9:18
- " Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise, says the LORD, I will protect them from those who malign them. " Psalm 12:5
- "You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge." Psalm 14:6
- "This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles." Psalm 34:6
- "My whole being will exclaim, Who is like you, 0 LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.'" Psalm 35:10
- "The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright." Psalm 37:14
- "Yet I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, do not delay." Psalm 40:17
- "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Psalm 68:5
- "Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, 0 God, you provided for the poor." Psalm 68:10
- "The poor will see and be glad — you who seek God, may your hearts live! The LORD hears the needy and does not despise his captive people." Psalm 69:32-33
- "Yet I am poor and needy; come quickly to me, O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD , do not delay." Psalm 70:5
- "He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor." Psalm 72:4
- "For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death." Psalm 72:12-13
- "Do not let the oppressed retreat in disgrace; may the poor and needy praise your name." Psalm 74:21
- "Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." Psalm 82:3-4
- "But he lifted the needy out of their affliction and increased their families like flocks." Psalm 107:41
- "For he stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save his life from those who condemn him." Psalm 109:31
- "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor." Psalm 112:9
- "He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap;" Psalm 113:7
- "I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food." Psalm 132:15
- "I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." Psalm 140:12
- "He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free" Psalm 146:7
- "The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked." Psalm 146:9
- "I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy." Proverbs 13:23
- "He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who is kind to the needy." Proverbs 14:21
- "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." Proverbs 14:31
- "The LORD tears down the proud man's house but he keeps the widow's boundaries intact." Proverbs 15:25
- "Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud." Proverbs 16:19
- "He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished." Proverbs 17:5
- "He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done." Proverbs 19:17
- "If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered." Proverbs 21:13
- "A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9
- "He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich — both come to poverty." Proverbs 22:16
- "Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court." Proverbs 22:22
- "A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops." Proverbs 28:3
- "He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses." Proverbs 28:27
- "The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern." Proverbs 29:7
- "those whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are set with knives to devour the poor from the earth, the needy from among mankind." Proverbs 30:14
- "Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Proverbs 31:9
- "She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy." Proverbs 31:20
- "If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still." Ecclesiastes 5:8
- "Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." Isaiah 1:17
- "The LORD enters into judgment against the elders and leaders of his people: It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?' declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty." Isaiah 3:14-15
- "to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless." Isaiah 10:2
- "With righteousness he will judge the needy; with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked." Isaiah 11:4
- "The poorest of the poor will find pasture, and the needy will lie down in safety. But your root I will destroy by famine; it will slay your survivors." Isaiah 14:30
- "You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat. For the breath of the ruthless is like a storm driving against a wall." Isaiah 25:4
- "Once more the humble will rejoice in the LORD ; the needy will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 29:19
- "The scoundrel's methods are wicked, he makes up evil schemes to destroy the poor with lies, even when the plea of the needy is just." Isaiah 32:7
- "The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. But I the LORD will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them." Isaiah 41:17
- "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter — when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?" Isaiah 58:6-7
- "If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday." Isaiah 58:10
- "The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners." Isaiah 61:1
- "On your clothes men find the lifeblood of the innocent poor, though you did not catch them breaking in. Yet in spite of all this you say I am innocent.'" Jeremiah 2:34
- "I thought, These are only the poor; they are foolish, for they do not know the way of the LORD, the requirements of their God.'" Jeremiah 5:4
- "(They) have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor." Jeremiah 5:28
- "if you do not oppress the alien, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm," Jeremiah 7:6
- "This is what the LORD says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of his oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the alien, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place." Jeremiah 22:3
- "'He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?" declares the LORD." Jeremiah 22:16
- "Sing to the LORD! Give praise to the LORD! He rescues the life of the needy from the hands of the wicked." Jeremiah 20:13
- "Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy." Ezekiel 16:49
- "He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked." Ezekiel 18:7
- "The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice." Ezekiel 22:29
- "This is what the LORD says: For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back [my wrath]. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.'" Amos 2:6-7
- "Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, Bring us some drinks!'" Amos 4:1
- "Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land." Amos 8:4
- "Buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat." Amos 8:6
- "Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other." Zechariah 7:10
- " So I will come near to you for judgment. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive aliens of justice, but do not fear me,' says the LORD Almighty." Malachi 3:5
And that's just the OLD Testament. Let's take up some space on the NEW one:
- "Jesus answered, If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Matthew 19:21
- "For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in." Matthew 25:35
- "They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." Mark 12:40
- "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed." Luke 4:18
- "So he replied to the messengers, Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.'" Luke 7:22
- "Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys." Luke 12:33
- "But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind." Luke 14:13
- "When Jesus heard this, he said to him, You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.'" Luke 18:22
- "Beware of the teachers of the law . . . They devour your widows' houses . . . Such men will be punished severely." Luke 20:46-47
- "'Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages.' He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it." John 12:5
- "In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was always doing good and helping the poor." Acts 9:36
- "Cornelius stared at him in fear. What is it, Lord?' he asked. The angel answered, Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.'" Acts 10:4
- "After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings." Acts 24:17
- "On the contrary: If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.'" Romans 12:20
- "For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem." Romans 15:26
- "All they asked was that we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I was eager to do." Galatians 2:10
- "Give proper recognition to those widows who are really in need." 1 Timothy 5:3
- "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27
- "Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, 'Here's a good seat for you,' but say to the poor man, 'You stand there' or 'Sit on the floor by my feet,' have you not discriminated among yourselves and becomes judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court?" James 2:2-6
- "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John 3:17-18
One thing more:
Passing The Buck by Peter Maurin 1. In the first centuries of Christianity the poor were fed, clothed, and sheltered at a personal sacrifice and the Pagans said about the Christians: "See how they love each other." 2. Today the poor are fed, clothed, and sheltered by the politicians at the expense of the taxpayers. 3. And because the poor are no longer fed, clothed, and sheltered at a personal sacrifice but at the expense of taxpayers Pagans say about Christians: "See how they pass the buck." |
"If you mistreat the poor, you insult your Creator" — Proverbs 14:31, CEV
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And, back on script, throughout God has this relationship. Moses and God. Talking things through. Moses defending the Hebrews against God's anger. God defending them from Moses' anger. One or the other threatening to wipe out this hard headed, hard hearted people.
The people.
Now to discuss the people.
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