Moses returns to Egypt - Exodus 4:18-31

This next part of the story has some stuff that makes sense if we've been following along... er, and one bit that will seem a bit weird, unless you know about some stuff back in Genesis.

The main point here?  It's 2 things:
1. God has a plan and Moses is learning to trust and follow it.
2. And the plan is really good news for the Israelite slaves!

Stop and read Exodus 4:18-31

So we've seen that Moses is a reluctant leader but that God is insistent that he should be part of his plan to rescue the Israelite nation from slavery to Pharaoh in Egypt.

Moses continues to show a lack of faith when he says to his father-in-law Jethro, that the reason he's returning to Egypt is to see if any of the Israelites there are "still alive"!  He's still not completely trusting in God's plans and promises.

He packs up and sets off, remembering his staff, which is now referred to as "the staff of God" because of how it will be used to show God's power with Moses.

God reminds Moses of all that he is do and all that is going to happen in Egypt.  God will harden Pharaoh's heart (more on this later) and it will ultimately end in the freedom of God's "firstborn son" (the nation of Israel - the descendants of Abraham) and in the deaths of many firstborn sons of Egyptian families because of Pharaoh's hard heart (he hardens his own heart too but more on this later).

Then we've got this weird bit on the way back to Egypt where God is about to kill Moses because his son hasn't been circumcised and Zipporah, his wife takes care of it for him. 

What's the big deal?  And why now? 

Well, the big deal is found back in Genesis 17 - the covenant of circumcision.  It was a deal God made with Abraham (the father of the nation of Israel).  God promised Abraham that he would have not only a son but many sons and many descendants that would become a great nation of people: Israel!  And as a sign of this miraculous work of God to multiply this family and bless the whole world through it, every male would be circumcised.  It seems like a strange kind of sign but every time an Israelite bloke looked down, he would be reminded that God keeps his promises!  Moses had apparently neglected to circumcise his son and it needed doing in order to honor God's covenant deal with Abraham. 

And why now?  Because now, more than ever, Moses needed to remember that God keeps his promises.  And he needed to get this sign sorted on the way to Egypt because he was going to be representing the Israelite nation, and so he'd better make sure he's living the life of an Israelite man, banking on the promises of God and teaching his kids to do the same!

As promised, God sends Aaron to link up with Moses to go to Egypt.  He's on board.

And then we have this encouraging moment where they arrive in Egypt and the Israelites believe Moses has been sent by God to free them from slavery.  After 400 years of it, they must have been starting to wonder when or whether God would keep his promises to them.  When they realise that God has seen their suffering and still cares about them and still has plans for them, they worship him!

So Moses is learning more and more to trust and follow the plans and promises of God for himself, his family and for those he would lead.  There's a lesson for us as Christians!!  But I for one am glad that today it doesn't require the use of a flint knife!

And God's plan is really good news for the Israelite slaves.  And today, God's plan is really good news for those in slavery to sin who need the rescue Jesus offers.  He sees our suffering.  He cares.  He has plans.  He wants to set his people free!!

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God's anger and hatred (Romans 1:18-32)

In this part of Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome, before he can explain what's so good about the good news of Jesus, he explains what's so BAD about people.

The Bible says 'God is love' and this is true but love is more than just an emotion - it is about action too.  In fact, God's emotions are wide-ranging and include anger and hatred when the situation and his goodness warrants it.  As CS Lewis said, 'anger is the fluid love bleeds when you cut it'...

Stop and read Romans 1:18-32

The first thing Paul says God gets angry about is the suppression of truth, especially the truth about himself.  Of course, Christians are just as capable of suppressing truth and telling lies about God as anyone else is, but Paul is talking about those who manage to exist in this world and invent reasons why it had to have come from nothing.  It's illogical, unscientific (Science can't observe 'nothing') and just plain wrong.  If our Universe had a beginning (and science assures us it did), its existence necessitates an uncaused cause.  More than this, the design, functionality and beauty of our Universe (even though it is broken) shows us the creativity of God.  Paul says everyone gets creation and there are therefore no excuses for not believing in the Creator.  And when people suppress this truth and believe lies instead, God hates it and gets angry because he loves the people he has made and he wants us all to know him. 

People's thinking continues to be 'darkened' in many ways and the truth about God is exchanged for many things, none of which deserve to come first in our lives.  The building of our lives around anything other than God is 'idolatry' (worshiping something else in place of God).  People love to do whatever they want and act as god of their own lives.  Interestingly, this almost always leads to the devaluing and abuse of sex whether through the enjoyment of pornography, casual sex, gay sex or adulterous sex. For now, people are 'given over' and totally allowed by God to run their own lives and sin (wrong thoughts, words or actions and neglecting good thoughts, words or actions) to their hearts' content.  God hates it and gets angry because he loves the people he has made and he wants us all to know him.

Paul specifically mentions gay lust and sex as being sinful.  This is frequently misquoted and misunderstood by Christians and non-Christians alike.  Some will say God hates gay people and it's wrong to be gay but that's NOT what it says here.  Others say love is love and God's fine with gay relationships provided they're loving but that's NOT what it says either.  Paul is explaining that one way in which people sin sexually is to actively desire and have sex with the same gender.  This doesn't mean it's wrong to be gay (to be same-sex attracted) but it is wrong to CHOOSE to sin sexually and to spend time thinking about sinning sexually and this is just one of the ways people do that.  It's unnatural and falls short of the best God intends for us.  God hates it and gets angry because he loves the people he has made and he wants us all to know him.

Incidentally, in our culture, singleness and community are both incredibly undervalued.  If a gay person decides to remain single and abstain from sexual relationships in obedience to God, they're not ruling out personal fulfillment.  Marriage is great but our happiness is not dependent on pairing up.  I know lots of people who have stayed single their whole lives and they wouldn't have it any other way.  They aren't lonely because they're committed to friendships and are plugged into a community.  Our sadness at the suggestion that gay people might choose not to pursue romantic relationships is part of our 'darkened' thinking because we think sex is more important than God in our culture.  God hates it and gets angry because he loves the people he has made and he wants us all to know him.

If you were faced with a glass of water with a big log of poo in it, you wouldn't drink it!  What if it was just a little bit of poo floating on the top?  You still wouldn't drink it!  Why?  Because poo is poisonous and dangerous.  This is what sin is like to God.  And no-one is off the hook.  We all sin in some of the various ways listed.  We all make selfish decisions to put ourselves first instead of God.  God hates 'little' sins as well as the 'big' ones because all sin is destructive, it's all against him and keeps people from knowing him.  God hates it and gets angry because he loves the people he has made and he wants us all to know him.

What should we expect from a perfect good God who created us and gave us life to love him back and be like him?  How long should we expect him to tolerate our sin?  Should we expect him to let us live forever?  If he did, he would not be a good God and there would be no justice.  The God of the Bible promises ultimate justice for all the sin in this world there has ever been or will be.  No-one gets away with anything!  Unless God intervenes in a dramatic way, we can all expect death and separation from God in the end.  What would it be like if God let us 'into heaven' as we are?  Heaven would just as messed up and broken as this place is.  If God is real and perfectly good, something radical needs to happen to us before we could ever expect anything good from him.  For now, we experience the natural consequences of a world that is generally running away from God instead of towards him. 

What do you think you deserve from God if he is a morally perfect judge? 

Bear in mind, your answer to this reveals how well or how little you understand God (how holy or good he is), and how well or how little you understand yourself (how far we fall short of him).

The good news will come later in Paul's writing, but before we can understand it properly, we need to grasp the bad news and the seriousness of our sin.

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Moses is not the hero - Exodus 4:1-17

In every flipping film I've seen about Moses (and there are loads!), Moses is always made out to be the hero of the Exodus story - A strong, wise leader, usually with an impressive beard.  But that's NOT how the Bible tells it.  Moses improved as a leader but to start with he was weak, reluctant and surprisingly stubborn when it came to doing what God said...

Stop and read Exodus 4:1-17

"What if they don't believe me...?".  It's a fair enough question.  No-one's going to take seriously the guy who says "The bush told me"!  So in the previous chapter God told Moses WHO to say it was that was sending him.  Not a bush, but the great I AM - the God of your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  But even though Moses knows it's God speaking, what if the Egyptians aren't convinced?

So God graciously shows Moses 2 amazing miracles that he could perform on demand to prove to the Egyptians that he really did have the power and authority of God behind him.

But Moses is still hesitant.

He makes excuses about not being a very good speaker.  But he's missed the point.  It's not supposed to be Moses' amazing oratory that convinces people but God's power.  That's why God's answer was the 2 miracles and not, "Don't worry Moses.  People will believe you because you do great speeches!"  Moses is slow to realise that God's power will do the talking.

God reassures Moses and shifts his focus from himself to God.  "Who made people's mouths?"  Moses should know this is all about God and what HE can do. 

Then it becomes clear that Moses DOES get it but is simply not willing to do what God says.  He's stubborn.  God will use this stubbornness later with Pharaoh but refusing to submit to God is completely inappropriate!!  Moses should know better.  He's defying God.  "I don't want to.  Make someone else do it."  After all the grace God has shown him!  What a stinky attitude!!  And we all do it!

Understandably, God gets angry with Moses (a moment we don't usually see in the films) and effectively God says, "Oh alright then, go and get Aaron and he can help you speak."  In other words God, even in his anger, is gracious again and gives Moses extra help, but he's ultimately uncompromising in his command for Moses to obey him. 

So Aaron will do the talking and Moses will handle the miracles.  Again, not what we see in the films. 

So Moses is NOT the hero of the Exodus story.  GOD IS!  And you are not the hero either.  God is! 

Will you trust him to be the hero of your story...
or will you resist as if it's all about you?

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