Unclean! Unclean!

Unclean, Unclean, This is what the Lepers would cry out as they worked their way around the city so that people would know they were contagious and unclean with a disease that affected the skin. Just yesterday I learned that I have shingles. It is a painful and highly contagious skin disease that stems from the nerve root. Now I'm not being shunned, (ok maybe a little) and it is not life threatening (even though it hurts), and I don't know what it feels like to have a disease like leprosy with no cure, because I have antiviral medicines that will help it go away, but having shingles makes me stop and think how it must have felt to be ostracized by society, to be shunned and avoided at all costs. The sad thing is, there are still millions of people that suffer from this and other skin diseases around the world that don't have access to medicine or relief from the intense pain that it comes with. They contract these diseases and live with the reality that it is the new way of life for them, no hope, no cure and no relief.

I know that in a few short weeks things for me will go back to normal, and life will go on. But for hundreds of thousands around the world, they will suffer quietly because their voice is not heard and they have no means for the medicine needed to cure them. I pray for them tonight, I pray that God the Father will put in their path the means and the ability to be healed. I pray for the sick and the poor, the fatherless and the widow. I pray for those who are persecuted and for those who are lost. Father God will you heal your people, provide for them peace in the midst of suffering and joy amongst the sorrow.

I serve a great and mighty God who has created all that I see, who sustains life and also calls us to his throne. Father expand my territories and deepen my horizons. Help me to not be selfish or self centered but to pray continually for those who are less fortunate than I.

Thank you for the blessings of my life and the ability to change someone else's.

Amen

Creation Vs. Evolution

Evolution or Creation

            Let me start off by quoting Genesis 1:1-2, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep and the spirit of God was veering over the waters.” (NIV) If we stop right there we have no basis for time other than it was the beginning of time. If you move onto verse 3 of Genesis, we begin to read the account of how God formed everything by His word and life leapt into existence. The reason I started with Genesis 1:1-2 is to show that some believe something called the GAP theory. We can see that God created the heavens and the earth, but we have no idea how much time passed before he began to bring order to the formless deep.

            Starting at Genesis 1:3-31 we read the account of what I believe to be a literal description of the creation of the earth. They can be separated into six segments, and those six can be combined into three. On Day one God created light and separated it from darkness. On the second day, God created the expanse between the water and the sky. The third day brought the oceans and dry land and vegetation. Day four the sun and moon were created along with the stars, and gave order to the rotation of the planets and the sun in order to govern the day and night. Day five brings the creation of land animals and those of the sea and air. On day six, God created man and woman to rule over and govern the earth and everything in it.

            Day one and four can be coupled in that God created light and gave it purpose on day four. Day two and five, God created water and sky and then filled it with living creatures on day five. Day three God created land and vegetation and then created ground bound animals as well as man and woman on day six, each day for a purpose and specific reason. I included this because it gives leverage to my argument for order in creation.

            So I obviously hinge on creation as to how the earth was formed and how man and woman came to be. But there are many who look at evolution as the answer and the form in which we have to this place in time. Evolutionist, specifically biological evolutionists believe that over millions and millions of years we have evolved from bacteria through processes of natural selection and genetic trait separations into just a small part of a huge tree of other living organisms. Some would assume that through this process Homo sapiens have climbed the ladder to the top and reside over all know living forms of life. They would be quickly corrected and told that in the eye of a biological evolutionist, Homo sapiens are just another leaf on a very large tree, and that we are not any more advanced than our cousins the primates.

            According to Understanding Evolution, (2008). “Humans are not “higher” or “more evolved” than other living lineages. Since our lineages split, human and chimpanzees have each evolved traits unique to their own languages.” I take issue with this primarily because the Bible tells us that God created man and told him to rule over the fish of the sea and the livestock of all the earth. Besides that, how can they make a serious claim that we are not more advanced than the chimpanzees are when we are the ones teaching them how to talk, add and or subtract and function in ways that they were obviously not created to function in, maybe that is a mistake on our part.

            Evolutionists also use Carbon14 dating in order to help underscore their claims of the earth being millions of years old, which gives their theory the time needed for evolution to take place. The only problem with this is that Carbon14 dating is flawed. “Carbon-14 dating is a way of determining the age of certain archeological artifacts of a biological origin up to about 50,000 years old.” (http://howstuffworks.com)

Having done some more research, I found that Carbon14 Dating is only good for approximately 30,000 years, which according to the Bible might be too old for this earth. There is also a large amount of guesswork and extrapolation that is done when reaching the answer of something that has been dated using this method.

            There is a theory that exists that might coincide with this issue and that is The GAP Theory. It would say that in Genesis 1:1-2, it says that God created the heavens and the earth. Then we stop, without any idea of how much time lapses’ between verse two and three. This could be millions of years, but the flaw with this is that God hadn’t created anything other than the earth at this point. No living creature is yet made.

            One other very interesting and ironic item I found in the evolutionists theory is that all of life can come from or be broken down into three areas, Eukaryote, Archaea, and Bacteria. Funny how there is a trinity of life, even in the evolutionist viewpoint. Ultimately I believe that God created the heavens and the earth and is the author of all life. I believe that God created the earth in six literal days as well. “Genesis 1 defines the days of creation to be literal days (a number with the word “day” always means a normal day in the Old Testament, and the phrase “evening and morning” further defines the days as literal days).” (Riddle, 2007.)

             I also would argue that the bible gives us very clear clues as to the age of the earth, that being 7,000-10,000 years old. Will we ever know for sure, I don’t believe so, and I don’t think it really matters if we know. What will that do for us in the long run? It’s been a long time since time began, that is for sure, but I think the most important thing to focus on is what we’re going to do with the time God gave us here on the earth.

References

Angel Fire. (n.d.) The Bible and Radiometric dating, (the problem with Carbon 14 and other             dating methods.). Retrieved September 26, 2011 from             www.angelfire.com/mi/dinosaurs/carbondating.html

Answers in Genesis. (2007). Doesn’t Carbon -14 Dating Disprove the Bible?. Retrieved October             4, 2011 from http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab/does-c14-disprove-the-bible

How Stuff Works. (2011) How Carbon-14 Dating Works. Retrieved October 4, 2011 from             http://science.howstuffworks.com/enviornmental/earth/geology/carbon-14.htm

Understanding Evolution. (n.d.). Evolution 101. Retrieved September 26, 2011 from             www.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/0_0_0/evo_07

Suffering

Suffering

Who (Where) is God when his people are suffering…according to Job’s four “comforters” (Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihuj?)

            According to each of Job’s so called comforters, God is judging Job for some sin that he must have committed against God. They spend quite a bit of time accusing Job giving instruction and advice that is neither accurate nor helpful for Job. Eliphaz in 3:49 says; “Consider now: Who, being innocent, has ever perished? Where were the upright ever destroyed? As I have observed, those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it. At the breath of God they are destroyed, at the blast of His anger they perish…” (NIV) Eliphaz is such a great friend, accusing Job of being evil in some fashion, basically saying that this is the very reason that trouble has come upon Job. Later in 5:8-9 Eliphaz says; “But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.” (NIV) Here I believe Eliphaz is saying that if Job confesses to God his sin and seeks God’s mercy for the sin committed, then God might just as well perform some miracle and right all that has been taken away from Job.

            Bildad is no different in his approach to Job, making the statement that God does not pervert justice and that He delivers to those what they deserve. Zophar also makes claims against Job’s comments about being righteous and pure, and his particular discourse in chapter 11 sounds very much like how God chastises Job in chapter 38. So to wrap all that up, Job’s three friends believe that God is in control, in Heaven if you will, and that Job has sinned against an almighty God and needs to repent of that sin.

Who (where) is God when his people are suffering…according to Job?

            There are two verses that I am using to gather my answer and they are 2:4 and 31:2. In each of these verses Job references that God is on high or in the heavens. I sincerely believe that Job believed that God was in control, He was in charge of the situation, but that Job just simply wanted answers as to why these things happened to him, one who lived right and followed God.

Who (where) is God when his people are suffering…according to God Himself?

            According to God, I find two references that indicate what I suspected. In 38:1 God says; “Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm.” (NIV) To me this only indicates that God is speaking to Job through a cloud much like He did with Moses. God is not on earth per say, but he is among men in that he is physically speaking to Job at this point. Job 41:11 says; “…Everything under Heaven belongs to me (God).” (NIV) (Parenthetical added by me). This verse also indicates to me that God is in Heaven, or in the vast expanse of his creation. God is really giving it to Job in these few chapters. I would think that Job wanted to crawl under a very large rock at this point in the book.

Who (Where) is God when his people are suffering…according to me?

            I believe several things that are important in order to form my answer; first of all I believe that God is omnipotent, all-powerful. Revelation 19:6 states that; “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.” (KJV) The Greek for this word omnipotent is translated, pantokrator, which means Almighty or “…he who holds sway over all things” (Blueletterbible.org. 2011.)

            Secondly I believe that God is Omnipresent. Psalm 139:7-10 says; “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” (NIV) As scripture states, where indeed can we go where God is not there already. He exists in all places and is not bound by location or time zone. When soldiers are fighting and dying in Iran or the Middle East God is there, and at the same time He is listening to my son as I lay him down for bed. He is beyond our imagination and finite understanding. This leads me to my third point. I believe that God is Omniscient.

            Hebrews 4:13 says; “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (NIV) and 1 Corinthians 2:10 says; “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?  “I the LORD search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (NIV) Each of these verses only confirms to me that God is in control of each and everything that happens on this earth. That is not to say that He is responsible for each and everything that happens here. We do have free will and as humans we choose to do some incredibly stupid stuff, but I am saying that God has intimate knowledge of all things, sees all things and knows all things.

            When God’s people suffer, I believe that He suffers too. The Bible says in Matthew 18:14; “In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.” (NIV) God does not desire that any of His children perish. Now I believe this is talking about eternal punishment, and so that indicates that God has compassion on his children. However; scripture also tells us in James 1:2-3 that we should, “… Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (NIV)

            Scripture also tells us; “  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28, NIV) I think that the Bible is clear that God is in control, He is aware when his children are suffering and that in all things there is purpose. I may never understand why my brother had to live such a hard life only to die at age 15, but God does, and I trust that His plan is still at work in my life and in the life of those who knew him. Faith in the power, knowledge and presence of God is critical in getting through times when God’s people suffer. It doesn’t surprise God when things like this happen; it only surprises us because we don’t know the bigger plan.

References

Biblegateway, (n.d.). www.biblegateway.com. Retrieved October 3, 2011 from             www.biblegateway.org

Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). www.blueletterbible.org. Retrieved September 24, 2011 from             www.blueletterbible.org

Entire Sanctification

The following is my response paper to a course I took concerning Christian Theology and Salvation. The paper scored decent so I though it might be safe to post here. :-) Enjoy!

Reflection Paper

Indiana Wesleyan University

Chris J. Kuntz

9-18-2011

  

            When I started this class I didn’t have any expectations simply because I wasn’t sure what exactly the course would cover. Now having come to the end of the course I can say that, although I had a very difficult time learning the information pertaining to sanctification, I am glad that I have gone through it. I honestly cannot say that I agreed with everything that we covered, but I can say that I believe it has given me a chance to discover why I believe what I believe and has also given me a better understanding of other religion viewpoints on the topic of sanctification and Christian perfection.

            John Wesley, as I understand it, believed in two definitive works of grace within the life of a believer. The first being the act of one coming to Christ in which the person was justified by faith; and the second being an additional or second work that brought entire sanctification. Wesley believed that sanctification as well as Christian perfection was both possible within this life. This was the single most difficult thing for me to grasp and try to understand and I can say confidently that I still don’t quite understand all the specifics of what J.W. was trying to get across, but I can agree to disagree on some of his points.            

            Just to clarify, according to Dieter (1987), Wesley’s stance on sanctification was that, “…God had promised salvation from all willful sin…” J.W. cited multiple scripture passages for this belief, including but not limited to: Ezekiel 36:25, 29; 2 Corinthians 7:1; and Deuteronomy 30:6. There are many other passages that support this idea and many more that Wesley draws on for his clarification of the topic. John Wesley also believed that once a believer started this path, it was important, I would go as far as to say, imperative that the believer not stop for; “Wesley allowed no stopping point in the Christian’s quest for holiness- “no holiness of degree, no point of conclusion.”… “To stop short of the crisis of faith by which we are restored through the Spirit to the love that we lost in the Fall was to ignore not only the privileges bit the expectations of the finished work of Christ and the end point of the plan of salvation.” (Dieter, 1987, p.19).

            Wesley goes on to discuss how the original sin of Adam and Eve has such a large and rippling effect on the rest of humanity, ruining our natural image, our political image and our moral image. Our relationships with God and with our fellow man, and especially our spouses have been tainted by this sin. It is described as the, “…total corruption of the whole of human nature.” (Dieter, 1987, p.23). In the end, in spite of what free will we have been given, and regardless of what strength we think we may have within ourselves, we are only capable of choosing sin.

            However: by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ we have freedom from that sin. Dieter (1987) describes it like this; “The real freedom of the Christian is not the freedom from guilt or release from the pangs of hell but the freedom to love with the love of God Himself shed abroad in the heart by the indwelling Holy Spirit.” I love how this points us back to God and not toward ourselves. It says so much in that life isn’t guaranteed to be perfect, and always trouble free, but that our love for God and for others will increase as our self desires decrease.

            So how do the Wesleyans get here? “It is critical to remember that Wesleyans do not come to their Biblical understanding of sanctification by a system of logical deduction from certain proof texts or propositions. Their convictions on the possibilities of perfection in love in this life and a faith experience of heart cleansing subsequent to justification grow out of their attempt to see Scripture holistically.” (Dieter, 1987, p.30).  Some of the supporting texts that John Wesley used in his teachings were all centered on the Bible calling us to live as Christ lived, perfect and holy. Leviticus 11:44 says that we are to, “…consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.” (NIV) John Wesley held tight to these passages and others like them and built his entire message upon their foundation.

            Wesley wasn’t the only one who had a viewpoint on sanctification and Christian perfection, there were others and they too laid out their belief. The Reformed perspective held that our nature, our being had been corrupted by sin, and that through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the cross, and for those who believe, we were cleansed and set apart for righteousness and service to God. The Reformed believed that sanctification was the process I just mentioned. That we are cleansed from the pollution of sin, and that we grow in our likeness of Christ until we get to heaven, which at that point we will be entirely sanctified and restored to the creation and relationship that God intended in the beginning.

            Ephesians 4:14-16 says; “ Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does it’s work.” (NIV) I think this scripture underscores or acts as the foundation for the Reformed viewpoint of our growing into sanctification, which is different from Wesley’s view point of entire sanctification which was, as far as I understood it, an instant and permanent state.

            Through the Spirit and through the word and power of Christ, we should be able to live in such a way that we are able to put to death, or put behind us the sins or misdeeds of the body. If I could pause here for a moment, to clarify my though, I would tend to understand sin and unrighteousness as two different things yet related. Sin is our deviation from God, our walking away from His desires for our life, our choosing us instead of him. Our unrighteousness would be the actual sin that we commit in the flesh.

            Responsibility lies not only on God for sanctification, but on our own shoulders as well. The Reformed Perspective would state that we are instructed through scripture to purify ourselves and remove the things in our lives that cause us to stumble, or fall. They didn’t hold that God was fully responsible for our sanctification rather that Christ was the agent through which sanctification came and that we had a responsibility toward that end as well.           

            Getting their beginning in the early 1900’s, the Pentecostal movement began in Topeka, Kansas in Bethel Bible College. Their viewpoint on sanctification consists of three steps in which someone is sanctified completely. First they are justified through faith in Christ, second they are sanctified through a second definitive work in their life. Third, and this is the bread and butter, one is totally sanctified when and only when they are baptized in the Holy Spirit, which also included speaking in tongues as a sign of the Holy Spirit.

            Durham preacher of the early 1900’s, brought much controversy to the Pentecostal movement by teaching something quite different, following his death, which one preacher prayed would come so that the controversy would end, the controversy actually increased and from this teaching the Assemblies of God churches were formed. It wasn’t long after this denomination was formed that it again experienced turmoil in its beliefs as the Trinity of God came into question. They placed all power and authority in Jesus Christ worshiping him only and not giving credit or acknowledgement to the Father or the Holy Spirit.

            In 1961, after several meetings, the word “entire” was dropped from the terminology of the Assemblies of God denomination. Ernest Swing Williams, the general superintendent of the Assemblies of God felt that the teaching of sanctification was to generalized and had particular issue with the term “entire” where it pertained to sanctification. Their understanding of sanctification now reflected this belief; “Sanctification is an act of separation from that which is evil, and of dedication unto God…Sanctification is realized in the believer by recognizing his identification with Christ in His death and resurrection, and by faith reckoning daily upon the fact of that union, and by offering every faculty continually to the dominion of the Holy Ghost.” (Horton, 1987, p. 112).

            Williams also states concerning sanctification; “Each believer in Christ is sanctified positionally when he accepts Christ. This is a truth that needs to be seen if a person desires to live a sanctified life.” (Horton, 1987, p.114).  I would agree with this statement in that we need to understand that as we are justified through the blood of Christ, we are sanctified, set apart for God. If this is how He views us through the blood of His son, then we need to be of the same mindset. This is where the transformation of our minds comes into play. We should no longer think the way the world does, rather, we should be transformed and renewed through the Word, and view ourselves as set apart for God, a living sacrifice for His glory. This is not to say that we are perfect in our living, nor should we view ourselves as such, rather we strive to live as close to Christ’s example as we can.

            McQuilkin shares that Keswick teachers have been accused of teaching perfectionism. Although it isn’t always clear, some Keswick teachers have held this position while others have denied this accusation. . Keswick teaches; “…that Christians, by the power of the indwelling Spirit, have the ability to choose consistently not to violate deliberately the known will of God. I have to ask myself if this is possible, I would say to an extent yes. I do believe that for a time one can resist the temptation to sin, and to qualify that statement, I would say that being tempted is not a sin, but giving into that temptation is a sin. Therefore if we can resist the urge to give into temptation and consistently choose to do what is right and Biblical, then yes we can live a perfect life, for a short period of time.

            Juxtapose that thought with the teaching of some Keswick teachers that presume the life of a believer is a spiritual battleground. The thought of an “old nature” and a “new nature” or “old man” and “new man” is discussed and used to help us understand that as we once were lost in sin and convicted of our sin (Old Nature) we are now reborn, made new and we now have access to a new life. But as McQuilkin states; “The conflict is not between old and new natures… but between the old nature and the indwelling Holy Spirit.” (McQuilkin, 1987, p.157). The Holy Spirit now lives within us and being part of the Trinity cannot be associated with sin or evil. This can be felt physically I believe as we struggle with our sinful nature, our carnal nature. Our selfish desires and wants cry out yes, while our mind, spirit is yelling NO. Keswick goes onto to teach that for those who accept a relationship with Christ yet go on sinning, have an issue with unbelief.

            “This new relationship with God initiates a process and results in a new potential. Simply stated, the new potential is for victory and growth. As we have seen, the new person in Christ has the ability to choose the right and to do so consistently. Such a person need never-and should never-deliberately violate the known will of God.” (McQuilkin, 1987, p.178). This is the ultimate change of nature if one were to consider how this kind of relationship could change lives.

            Augustine however; questions the term “nature”. What does it mean? Does it pertain to our disposition of sin, such as a sin nature or flesh? Is it who we are deep down inside or is the terminology wrong? “…the concept of a sin nature can probably be best summarized as a complex of human attributes that demonstrate a desire and predisposition to sin…Christian salvation, there is a new nature, which may be defined as a complex of attributes having a predisposition and inclination to righteousness.” (Walvoord, 1987, p.206).

            Through out the reading of this book, my perspective has been challenged. I know I didn’t touch on all the information that the book covered, but frankly I don’t think it’s possible. I have been challenged to think outside what I believe and have been raised to understand in terms of salvation, sanctification and the Christian life, which I think is a good thing. I have been stretched to understand other viewpoints and perspectives on scripture and I think ultimately I have been forced to solidify what I believe to be true, and what I believe scripture says about the topics we covered in this class. The reality and unified truth that I think we can all agree on is that Christ calls us to live a Holy life, a life that glorifies and honors Him, and that this is only done through the grace that is freely given us when we seek it. My prayer is that we can all do so with a pure heart. Psalm 86:11-12 which is my life verse says; “Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever.” (NIV)

References

Gundry, S. N. (1987). Five Views on Sanctification. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Corporation.

The BIG RED X

So part of my new job at ECC is to create the video segments we use each week for various ministries and sometimes, such as the case this week, to create training videos for our pastoral cluster meetings. I have spent the past two weeks married to my computer editing videos. I have a total of 45 hours of editing in three 25 minutes videos. I was thrilled today when I started to export these creations of mine to the DVD burner. This meant that I was soon to be done and would be able to get back to life like I once new it.

Came time to burn the last video and all went well. I stuck it in the player for a quick preview and to my surprise there was a HUGE red X through the whole screen. It never went away, the entire video is like this.

Now just so you know, this particular video is my most time consuming one, it has the most filters, changes, edits and cuts......so imagine how excited I was when I realized I had to spend yet more time and fix it.

I get into the edit program and the red X is there as well, IT WONT GO AWAY. Nothing I did would take this red X off my project so I could finalize it. Frustrated and disappointed do not explain what I felt. I did everything I knew how to do to fix it, finally to submit and realize I will have to re-create it tomorrow. Yet another day on this project.

OK so really I have a point, I'm not just complaining.

As I was trying to read tonight for school about sin and sanctification, I began to see some similarities to what I am dealing with and reading. I have a lot of time invested in this video, and this stupid red X is in my way and renders the video useless and unworthy of being used for it's intended purpose, so I am going to have to rebuild it. (seeing any similarities yet?)

It hit me tonight that this is so much like the sin in our lives. No matter how much I moved the video around that red X followed it, like my sin follows me. There is nothing I can do to remove this red X from my video, much like there is nothing I can do to remove my own sin. Tomorrow as I head into my office to recreate this video from the ground up, I will go in with a little different perspective, understanding that I bare a MASSIVE RED X on my heart. God is re-building me from the ground up in order to render me useful for my intended purpose.

Tomorrow won't be frustrating, it will be a gentle reminder of the X I bare, and the work Christ is doing in my life.

Applying John 12-17

Recently I did an inductive Bible study on John chapters 12-17 that turned out really well. The professor and some classmates really like the application so I thought I would cut to the chase and share it with you here.


Following Christ requires great amounts of faith. For the disciples, they were there, they were able to walk and talk with Christ. And so their belief and witness of his power, their understanding of his compassion, and his zeal for his Fathers house, were all things they witnessed and yet they still struggled with faith at times. I should not expect it to be easy to follow and trust in a god that I have not seen, spoken face to face with, but only read about. The disciples seem to question Christ directly when he makes a statement that they don’t understand, why shouldn’t we? Being a student of the Bible, I believe that would be expected. Christ answered his interrogators almost every time. Albeit these answers were sometimes cryptic, they received an answer nonetheless. As we ask questions of God about things we may not understand, whether that pertains to our studies or life in general, we need to be aware that we may not always get the answer we are looking for.

Through Christ’s ministry and the onslaught of questions that are directed his way, we can be aware of and expect that we won’t always understand the answers up front. Sometimes we will need to experience something first, and in other circumstances we may not be ready to hear the answer just yet. Regardless, we can know that behind each question we have of what God is doing, or what He has said, there is an answer and a reason. We may not always get it, or understand it, but we must have faith that it is good. God is always working to reconcile his people to himself, how He does that is up to his direction, we must be faithful in following His lead.

The disciples didn’t always understand why Christ said what he said or did what he did, but it was for the good of humanity and creation that these things happened. In hindsight, the disciples were able to understand what he said and what he had to do on the cross. Faith sometimes is blind, but faith is required when you follow Christ.

In The Blink Of An Eye

In The Blink Of An Eye
It amazes me from time to time just how fast things can happen. Tonight we were enjoying a beautiful evening at a relatives house, celebrating Tylers 11th birthday with a pool party, good food and plenty of hyper boys. They spent time swimming and then eating and then back to swimming. In the course of the evening while I was talking to another relative about ministry, my youngest son came up to me and said he was done swimming and wanted me to take his life jacket off of him. I did and wrapped him up in a towel to warm up and went back to talking.

It was about 15 minutes later I hear Lisa yelling at one of the boys, saying: "Get him!! Get him!!" The fear in her voice caused me to jump to my feet and start heading her direction when I saw Ethan just going under the surface of the water unable to touch and NO lifejacket. It seemed all very slow motion for me but before I knew it I was jumping into the pool fully clothed to get him above water. I took him to the side as he gagged and coughed. I set him on the edge of the pool and all I could do was hug him, It scared the crap out of me to see his little face struggling to get above water to take a breath.

As I stood there in the pool hugging him, he said to me, " I couldn't breathe..." I hugged him again and sent him over to mom. It was at that moment I realized that I wasn't dressed to be in the pool, including my wallet, iPhone and keys. Somehow I didn't really care, in the instant I was on pure reaction to get my kid safe and sound. I don't think it bothered Ethan as much as it did Lisa and I. It really bothered me that I was the one that took his life jacket off in the first place. Thing is there was about 20 or so of us standing around and no one saw him go in except for his cousin who came and told us as we began to realize what was happening. It only took a second for a happy occasion to turn tense and dangerous.

I rode my motorcycle home from the party which gave me plenty of time to think about the events of the night. This will sound bad, but tonight I soaked everything in my wallet, soaked, maybe ruined my dress shoes, trashed my iPhone (which was borrowed)...........But none of that matters because I still have my son. I would do anything to make sure he is safe. Jumping into a pool isn't dangerous, but the truth is I would do it a thousand times over, even risking my life to save his. So if I, a sinful wretched miserable soul could do that, how much more could my Heavenly Father go out of His way to save me. For me, tonight was a huge reminder of how much God has done to rescue his children from the depths of death.

Father thank you for keeping Ethan safe, and thank you for rescuing me from death through your son Jesus Christ.

Reading Historical Narrative in the Bible

Historical Narrative


Many people, myself included, sit down to read the Bible and open the pages of the book and begin reading. Some from where they left off the night before, some looking for a specific piece of information, and still others who just open it up expecting to read something profound that will help guide them through their day or answer that nagging question that has been in the back of their mind. Regardless of why the Bible was opened, there is truth to be read and lessons to be learned. The problem is that many people just open the book and begin reading without giving any regard to context, historical placement or culture, background information on the particular person or persons they are reading about and, last but not least, the reason that particular scripture was written to begin with. To get the most out of reading the Bible, one must understand the genre they are reading, the purpose for it’s being written in the first place, and the message the author intended to convey with it’s content. So how do we do that? Research, reading and more reading. One must be a student of the text just as much as they are a student anything else they want to learn more about, maybe even more so in this case.

Let’s take the Historical Narrative genre that exists in several Old Testament books of the Bible, such as; Joshua, Samuel or Ezra, not to mention many more. One must first ask these three questions before expecting to understand the text in this particular genre. 1. Who wrote this book? 2. To whom was this book written. 3. What is the genre of this book? Which might be a more important question to answer. Understanding these questions will help set the context for the passage being read.

Let’s dig a little deeper. If we were to understand the book of 1 Samuel, we need to know that the author is believed to be Samuel, but also includes writings from the prophets Gad and Nathan. Why is this important? It just helps us to understand that the information we see in 1 Samuel is collective information, partly taken from Samuel, but also taken from the records of these prophets concerning the reign of King David. Then we need to know whom the book was written to, this helps the reader understand the context of the message, and possibly provides a little more detail in terms of purpose or intended message. 1 Samuel was written to the people of Israel, and its intended purpose is for the recording of Samuels life, but also to show the transition from Israel having judges to kings.

The third question is maybe the most critical in that it will help the reader understand the purpose for the form of the book and it’s content. 1 Samuel is a historical narrative piece of literature. By knowing the genre of the book, the reader can then understand the purpose of the book is to show the big picture of a part of history. One could not sit down to a book containing the genre of historical narrative and read only a paragraph of the scripture and grasp a good understanding of what is happening in the story. A historical narrative really needs to be read in large portions so that the reader can gain a birds eye view of not only what is happening on the ground level, (individual people), but at a skyline view, which might be the Israelite people, and further yet, a horizon view which might be the bigger plan of God for his chosen people.

As we look at a book like 1 Samuel with these things in mind, we can see the book for what it is, the story of how God is sovereign over all, and the preparation of Israel for King David, which by the way was only the second king for the people of Israel. One more thing we see in 1 Samuel is the story of how Israel went from having judges, Samuel being the last, to having kings whereby Saul was the first, and David was the greatest.

No matter how you look at this genres, the main point is that to grasp fully what the text is intending or intended to say, one has to understand that, “…literary criticism depends on some amount of historical spadework in order to comprehend the customs, context and even language of the biblical texts.” (Arnold & Williamson, 2005, p. 688-9). Interpreting Literature isn’t easy, it takes time, but the digging and the time spent going over the extra information, will help the student understand what is to be communicated by the author. “For communication to occur, the reader must be on the same page as the author in terms of genre.” (Duvall & Hayes, 2005, p.121).

Resources
Arnold, B. T., & Williamson, H. G. M., (2005). Dictionary of the Old Testament historical books: A compendium of contemporary Biblical scholarship. Nottingham, England: Inter- Varsity Press.

Duvall, J. S., & Hays, J. D., (2005). Grasping God’s word: A hands on approach to reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible. (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan

The Judges

Othniel
1. God raised Othniel up as a deliverer and judge for the people of Israel.
2. He became a judge and went to war as the spirit of God came upon him.
3. Israel was sold into slavery under Cushan-Rishathaim King of Aram Naharaim.
4. This scripture is unclear as to how this judge led, however one could assume from the peace that Israel enjoyed, that this judge led well in order to bring that peace.
5. Israel enjoyed 40 years of peace, and assumably was when Othniel died.


Ehud
1. God permitted Eglon to have power over Israel for 18 years, thus causing the people to cry out to God who then rose up Eglon as a judge.
2. God gave courage to Ehud to approach the king and in doing so giving Ehud close proximity in order to kill the king and free the people of Israel.
3. Once again Israel sinned and God placed them in slavery, I assume to curb their wayward lives and bring them back under control.
4. Ehud led with a strong hand, confident in the mission given to him by God.
5. Israel enjoyed 80 years of peace under Ehud.

Shamgar
1. Shamgar is spoken of very little in Judges, but from what is said, one can see that he was a man of victory during war. He struck down 600 Philistines with something called an oxgoad. Scripture mentions that he too saved Israel.


Deborah
1. Again God gave the Israelites over into the hands of a ruler in order to subdue and oppress the Israelites for their sin. Deborah was already leading Israel at the time that they cried out, and they went to her for all their disputes.
2. God’s spirit gave courage, wisdom, strength and guidance to Deborah to go with Barak as support.
3. Again I believe it was to bring the Israelites back to order and stop sinning.
4. Deborah led with wisdom and courage, instructing the people and Barak what to do and where to go.
5. Israel had peace for 40 years.


Gideon
1. God approached Gideon as he worked and spoke with him, telling Gideon what he was to do.
2. God not only led Gideon during his time as judge, he made sure that Gideon stayed humble. One specific instance is when God thinned out Gideon’s army to only 300 men. This shows us that it was because of God and not Gideon that they were victorious. I would hope that Gideon noticed this as well.
3. Israel needed to be able to trust their judge, and by leading them into freedom and peace, it (trust) was given freely.
4. Gideon led many missions, and each time it was with God’s hand. Gideon sought the wisdom of God and led with confidence that God was with him.
5. When Gideon died Israel was at peace and had been for 40 years, but shortly after his death, the reverted back to their old ways and began sinning again.


Tola & Jair
1. Both of these judges are spoken of very little in scripture, and we only know that Tola rose to save Israel, he lived in the hill country and that he led Israel for 23 years. Tola led for 22 years and controlled 30 towns with 30 sons who each rode on donkeys (which is a sign of humility).


Jephthah
1. I would imagine that God led the leaders of Gilead over to Tob to talk to Jephthah to convince him to become their leader. I certainly don’t know that for sure, but the scripture isn’t very clear on how God elevated this person other than through the asking from the leaders of Gilead.
2. The spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah and caused him in courage to cross the land in pursuit of victory over the Ammonites.
3. Sin blinds and in order to open the eyes, God allowed oppression again, however this time he wasn’t going to free them, but then they rid themselves of all gods and served the Lord. I still believe that God is using the leadership of these judges in war against their oppressors to try to get Israel to submit and worship the one true God.
4. Jephthah led with strength as he was a mighty warrior.
5. Jephthah led for 6 years and at the time of his death, Israel’s had was strong.


Ibzan, Elon, Abdon
1. Again these judges are not spoken of very much other than to say how long they ruled and how many children they had.
Ibzan: He had 30 sons and 30 daughters; he led for seven years and then died.
Elon: Led for 10 years and then died
Abdon: He had 40 sons and 30 grandsons and they rode on 70 donkeys. He led Israel for eight years.


Samson
1. God caused a barren woman to conceive and Samson was set apart for the work of God from birth.
2. The Spirit of the Lord would come upon Samson the Nazirite, and give him strength that went beyond super human. By keeping a simple command from the Lord not to cut his hair, Samson was able to keep his strength to use for the Lord.
3. They were sinning again and under the oppression of the Philistines.
4. Samson led Israel with strength he received from the Lord keeping the Israelites safe and from harm. He also led with vengeance in a way, specifically when it came to vengeance on the Philistines.
5. He led Israel for 20 years in safety through his strength. As to the condition of Israel, scripture does not mention it, but because of Samson’s leadership and strength, I would assume they were at peace following his death and the killing of the Philistines.


Each of these judges were selected by God because of one reason or another, some ordinary men or women who were natural leaders, and some who were not very confident in themselves or their leadership abilities, however they were willing to be used of God for specific purposes, and that makes all the difference in the world. Some like Samson and Jephthah were strong and great worriers, others were smart and fought with their brains, and others were full of faith in a great God.

The Greatest Commandment

Love the LORD Your God

1 These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, 2 so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life. 3 Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey so that it may go well with you and that you may increase greatly in a land flowing with milk and honey, just as the LORD, the God of your ancestors, promised you.

4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.[a] 5 Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

10 When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, 11 houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, 12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land. 16 Do not put the LORD your God to the test as you did at Massah. 17 Be sure to keep the commands of the LORD your God and the stipulations and decrees he has given you. 18 Do what is right and good in the LORD’s sight, so that it may go well with you and you may go in and take over the good land the LORD promised on oath to your ancestors, 19thrusting out all your enemies before you, as the LORD said.

20 In the future, when your son asks you, “What is the meaning of the stipulations, decrees and laws the LORD our God has commanded you?” 21 tell him: “We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. 22 Before our eyes the LORD sent signs and wonders—great and terrible—on Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. 23 But he brought us out from there to bring us in and give us the land he promised on oath to our ancestors. 24 The LORD commanded us to obey all these decrees and to fear the LORD our God, so that we might always prosper and be kept alive, as is the case today. 25 And if we are careful to obey all this law before the LORD our God, as he has commanded us, that will be our righteousness.”

Deuteronomy 6 (NIV)

The title of this chapter brings to light the topic of the scripture, but I find that it has more meaning than to just simply love God. Moses is talking to the Israelite people just before they cross the Jordan to gain the land the Lord had promised to their forefathers. Verse one shows us that this conversation is directed by God in that Moses says that God has directed him to say these things, but for specific reasons. This whole opening statement from Moses is deliberate. It is for preparing the people for their dwelling in the new land, by commanding them to not forget what the Lord has done for them by leading them out of slavery in Egypt, and under the oppression of Pharaoh. By doing this, Moses instructs them to remember the commands God has given them and to continually talk about them with their children, in all situations. Teaching the kids the commands is implied, and for the purpose of not forgetting what God had done for them. It is also pass along to the children what was done for them by God. This is so that not only the current generation, but the younger generations of that day would continue to fear the Lord, and in return the Lord will bless them by giving them long and enjoyable life.

In verse 4 we find the Shema, which is a Jewish prayer that is very common today. “The Shema is an affirmation of Judaism and a declaration of faith in one God. The obligation to recite the Shema is separate from the obligation to pray and a Jew is obligated to saw the Shema in the morning and at night.” (www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org). The Shema is also mounted in the doorways of Jewish homes in what is called a Mezuzah which normally contains a piece of paper that has a name of God on it. This is also derived from the Shema found in Deuteronomy 6. It is designed to help people remember the commands of God through out the day, and to keep them on the heart. That takes us into verses 6-9. God commands that these decrees be kept on our hearts and that they are passed onto our children. Specifically in verse 9 we find the command or directive to place these on the doorposts of the home. Today when a Jew walks through the doorway, they touch the Mezuzah and then kiss the fingers that touched it as a reminder of God and to show respect to Him for what He has done.

I found the wording of verse 10 interesting in that it shows us that God didn’t just send the Israelites into lands to capture their reward, rather they were led there by God. Verse 10 says that, “When the Lord you God brings you into the land…” God is bringing them, which to me shows that God isn’t just sending them in blind to fight for themselves, He is making the provisions as they go and that he is ahead of them. Verses 10-12 show us that the people that inhabited that land either fled or were killed, but that the Israelite people didn’t have to build houses or plant for food, they simply took over what was already there, what was already built and planted. God provided abundantly for his people.

There is a main theme that seems to represent itself through out Deuteronomy and that is the directive for the people of Israel not to forget that God brought them out of Egypt and rescued them from slavery and has provided for them greatly. I stopped counting the times that Moses reminded the people that God brought them out of the land, however; I think this is good as I believe that God knew what kind of people they are and that they would soon forget all His great and mighty deeds.

Two final thoughts that present themselves through out this passage is that God did a great and mighty thing by rescuing them from slavery under Pharaoh and that they should not forget this. When they begin to forget, that is when they begin to wander and stray away from God and his commands and directives for a healthy and long life.

Some structural relationships I found were that of Purpose and Instrumentation in verses 2, 3, 18, 24. Again they all revolved around God’s desire and design for the people to remember what He had done. I think God understood that if they didn’t find ways to remember daily His blessings for them and to pass it along to their children, then it would only be a short matter of time before the people were a rebellious and terrible sinful nation/people.

Some implications arise from our failure to remember that God has blessed us as a grafted in people. If we start to forget what God has done through his son Jesus Christ, we may, like the Israelites, begin to forget and go astray in our sinfulness. I think that there are some practices that should be in place in every home across the world for those who profess Christ, and that if we don’t have something to remind us of God’s grace, and then we need to find something to remind us. Things like the Mezuzah are great tools because they provide teaching moments for our children.


References
Life application study Bible (New International Version). (2005). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
Schoenberg, S. (2010). The shema. Retrieved April 15, 2011 from http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/shema.html

The First Passover

Exodus 12 (NIV)
The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread

1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover.
12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance. 15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do.
17 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 18 In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. 20 Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.”
21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.
24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron.
29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.
The Exodus
31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”
33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. 35The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.
37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.
40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions left Egypt. 42Because the LORD kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the LORD for the generations to come.

Outline:
1. 12:1-2 – Sets the main characters and the time of the new calendar.
2. 12:3-5 – Preparation for Passover in terms of the sacrifice needed and commanded.
3. 12:6 – Sets the day and time for Passover to take place.
4. 12:7-11 – Directions for what to do with the sacrifice and how the Israelites were to mark their households.
5. 12:12-13 – God’s plan for action against Egypt.
6. 12:14-17 – Command to celebrate this festival of Passover and remembrance.
7. 12:18-20 – Directive for the absence of all yeast in bread.
8. 12:21-28 – Moses releases the elders to start preparing for Passover with specific instructions.
9. 12:29-30 – God takes action against Egypt.
10. 12:31-36 – Egypt pushes for Israel to leave quickly.
11. 12:37-42 – Israel’s journey out of Egypt.

Verse 1-2 - I found this reading to be very interesting in that there were specific areas that seemed to detail how things might happen or take place in the near future for the Israelites. One of the first things I noticed was in verse 1-2 in that God, Moses, and Aaron seem to be the main characters within the conversation that is taking place. God tells Moses to start his calendar year during that particular month. Now up to this point, did the Egyptians and the Israelites already have a way of keeping time in terms of seasons? I would assume they did being that the Egyptians were worshipers of the sun. And if so, was this one of God’s methods of discrediting the Egyptian worship of the gods? Or was this simply a way for God to give the Israelite people a new life, a fresh start with a new calendar year? This seems more likely as they would mark their calendar year with the celebration of Passover, the beginning of a new life. Another thought would be that God doesn’t specify a particular day that the month starts on, so that leads me to wonder if that was up to Moses or if that particular day was the beginning of the month. God goes on to tell Moses to have the Israelite people select a lamb on the tenth day, so I am leaning toward this conversation between God, Moses and Aaron happening on the first day of the first month of the year.

Verses 3-5 not only talk about the meal for Passover, but also how to prepare for it and how to dress while eating the meal. I was intrigued to re-read the instruction of God to His people, because it is obvious that they intended to be ready to travel, a people on the move. It would appear that God wanted them to be ready a moment’s notice to pick up and vacate the area. This would be commonplace for this people for the next 40 years. This must have been a very anxious time for the Israelites. To know that God had been working on the house of Pharaoh and that this very night, they are going to witness mass destruction in terms of life. What must they have thought as they prepared the meal? Verse 6 gives us the day that Passover was to be celebrated, as God is very specific as to when it is to start for the Israelite people. But something I found that I easily overlooked is that the Israelites were to take care of the lamb until this appointed time.

Another observation is that of the preparation and cooking method of the Passover lamb. It is to be roasted on an open fire, not boiled or eaten raw, this at first confused me as to it’s importance, but then I thought of how God instructs the people to bring their sacrifices to the Tabernacle in the near future, and how they are to be burned on an open fire so that the aroma would be pleasing to God. I have to wonder if this is the same concept here. Continuing on with the topic of preparation, what was the significance of caring for the lamb prior to the sacrifice? Was this to bond with, or identify with the lamb before it’s death?

One observation that I nearly missed is that for this sacrifice, there is no priest or alter designated for the sacrifice. Each leader of the home was to facilitate for the family. But this whole process mirrors the direction and instruction the Israelite people will receive when it comes to the Tabernacle, especially the significance of the blood sprinkled on the doorpost. One question I have is did the Israelite people at this point, understand the significance of the blood on the doorpost or did they just comply with Gods directive? And if so, why the sudden change of heart. The Israelite people had been disobeying and getting into trouble earlier, why the sudden total compliance with the directives and instructions of God?

Verses 7-11 – Not only was the Passover to be on a specific day, and the people to handle the selection of the sacrifice in a certain way, they were to execute the actual ceremony of the Passover as well with specific detail. By spreading the blood of the sacrifice on the doorframe of their houses, it was a sign to the destroyer that they were set aside as God’s chosen people. This display of blood is a precursor and symbol of the blood that is spread on our hearts, the door frame to our house, so that God sees that we are redeemed through Christ’s blood and work on the cross.

Verses 12-13 – This is a confusing passage to many people, but if we look at what it is saying, it might give us some insight into the reasoning for this display of death. God states that he is going to pass through Egypt and kill the first born of all people and animals. Why? To bring judgment on all of the god’s of Egypt. This holds some very interesting clues as to why the death of first-born. Many societies of that time would sacrifice their young to the gods for specific reasons such as fertility and good crops for the year. It’s possible that God is saying there is no blessing here because you serve false gods.

Verses 14-17 - God gives clear instruction to the Israelites to remember this day and to celebrate it always, passing it from generation to generation so that all may remember that this was the day that God brought them out of captivity. The absence of yeast in verses 18-20 could possibly indicate the haste in which this meal was eaten or was to be eaten in light of the coming exodus from Egypt.

Verses 21-30 – These 7 verses are so rich with information I had to back up several times to re-read them so I didn’t miss it. First of all Moses calls all the Elders to assemble so he can instruct them in the directives that God gave him. He also instructs them to observe this ceremony after they have entered the Promised Land. For generations to come they are to observe what was instructed on this day. He tells them to go quickly, which is also similar as to how they are to eat the meal, but it also shows the time for God’s judgment on Egypt is coming quickly, there isn’t time to waste, it was immanent. I have always wondered why Hyssop was used in this and other sacrificial ceremonies, but after visiting Israel, I found that hyssop is a common herb used in homes, (it taste wonderful on fresh baked bread with olive oil.) So it is very possible that this would have been found in just about any home as a common staple food or herb. I do have to wonder what the elders were thinking at this point. Were they secretly taking stock of the hyssop they had at home? Then Moses instructs them to stay indoors after putting blood on the doorframe. It would have been very tempting to take a peak, but I have a feeling that these folks new better than to fool around with immanent death.

That leads me to my other thought on this passage. I over looked this statement many times, but finally it jumped out at me. In verse 23, scripture says that, “When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the door frame and will pass over that doorway, and will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.” Who exactly is this destroyer? Is it an angel of God or is God ushering Satan through Egypt? Is the angel of death in tow as God sweeps his judgment over Egypt? This for me was a very interesting statement that I didn’t catch at first. I always assumed that God carried out the judgment, but this sounds like He allowed it to happen at the hands of another entity. Regardless of who or how, that very night God carried out his judgment on Egypt and there was wailing through out the land.

Verse 31-36 – It seems as though God hits the Egyptians where it hurts and they push for the Israelites to leave as soon as possible. So much so that they give them their possessions and, in a sense, allow the Israelites to plunder them as they send them on their way. The Egyptians were so grief stricken that they didn’t care what it took, they just wanted the Israelites gone and the curse and judgment with them. Of course this was all at the hand and design of God, so the plunder is no mistake or fluke, it is orchestrated through divine will and direction.

Verse 37-42 – As the Israelites leave Egypt, verse 37 recorded that there are about six hundred thousand men, not counting women and children. It also says that there were many other people that went with them including, “large droves of livestock”. (NIV) There are arguments among some as to how many people really left Egypt during the exodus, some say that the numbers presented here in this passage are literal and others say that it was closer to about twenty thousand. Regardless as to if this number is literal or not, it must have been a sight to see thousands and thousands of people and animals leave Egypt and begin their travels in the wilderness. What must the celebration have been like as they walked out of oppression into freedom? Did they sing as they walked? I can only imagine after years of hard labor, and being under the thumb of a dictator, how freeing it must have been to walk out, not to mention having God on your side.

Some of the Structural Relationships I noticed were in v.17-21 and v.42. Both relationships are of Substantiation using the word “because”. Verse 17 signifies the reason behind why the Israelites are to celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It is to remind them that God rescued them from their lives of slavery and oppression. And Verse 42 indicates the reason behind why ALL the Israelites made it out of Egypt. It was because the LORD stood watch to make sure the all made it out. This clearly indicates, as if it is needed, that God was on their side and was looking out for them in times of great turmoil and oppression.

Some questions that come to mind include: At this point in the lives of the Israelites, when they had been oppressed for so long, and had seen much loss and grief, what did they feel about the thought of a celebration being established, prior to there being anything to celebrate? And what caused them to believe and obey the instructions that were being given to them?

Some implications could be for those who chose to not obey the commands being given out. Were there Israelites that chose not to follow the instructions of the Lord? If so, the implications where huge in terms of freedom and being a part of the covenant inheritance. Another implication of the celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread was that it would cause people to remember what God had done. The actual creation of the celebration, prior to the events taking place, imply that God knew He was going to be successful in freeing the Israelites from the Egyptian oppression and therefore set up a time of rejoicing and remembrance. Another implication is that God’s bigger plan is at work among the people now as it was then. If God never changes, then He is always looking out for his chosen people, we have nothing to fear.

The story of the Exodus is a great recount of history that should remind us that God always keeps His word, and although people like Pharaoh may try to stand in His way, God will not be defeated, He will not be swayed, and He will not tolerate people who try to do so. The Israelite people did not completely understand where they were going, or what lay ahead of them, they did however trust God to bring them up out of the land of oppression, and He did. We must remember that although we may go through tough times, when we call on the Lord He will answer us. It may not be our answer, however it will be the answer God gives and regardless if we wander the wilderness for 40 years or not, God’s plan is always the better and bigger plan and we would be wise to follow it.

References
Life application study Bible (New International Version). (2005). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.