Bibledoorajar: Men At Work

Moses and Aaron have been prepared by God to go into Pharoah's Court. This was the court where all who entered with a request was made to humble themselves before Pharoah to make their entreaties known. But Moses and Aaron were not prepared by God to grovel before Pharoah. They were to unequivocably say: "Thus saith the Lord God, Let my people go..." I will never forget Charleston Heston playing Moses when I was a child. He was a magnificent Moses standing bravely there with his prophet before Pharoah. This they did, even though God had prepared them for the fact that Pharoah's heart would be hardened. It must have taken a great deal of courage to make that stand. But stand they did!

We are living in a time in which the "politically correct" is clashing for some with the "Thus saith the Lords". For other believers not so much. Our preacher made a point yesterday of saying that even in these times of differences God is in control. He will win. If the events of the day have put us in conflict with others, we must endeavor to handle those conflicts by being at peace with all men. Taking our needs to the Lord, He will be victorious. Just like Moses and Aaron, we must have the faith to believe this no matter how much we are worried about matters at hand. The legalities of any society can never outweigh the power found in the moral government of the Lord. He will win and many will be saved because He has a way of making something very good out of the seemingly impossible.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).  Moses and Aaron had a purpose. You do too. The challenge is to walk in it.

Bibledoorajar: Instilling Peace to Act

Now that Moses and Zipporah had made things right at home, God moved to instill greater peace within Moses's heart to act on His behalf. In His wonderful kindness, God had already dispatched Aaron to the mount where Moses had first encountered Him. I think it is wonderful that God has things already in motion to help His own serve Him better. How reassured Moses must have been when he realized God had indeed sent Aaron to him. How reassured Aaron must have been that God Himself was sending him to Moses. And when they met on the mount where Moses had encountered the burning bush they had to have known that something great was going down. That place had taken on the significance of being Holy Ground because of what God and Moses had previously done there. Now God, Moses and Aaron would reaffirm their mission there. Moses was God's Ambassador; Aaron was Moses's prophet. Aaron would accurately report the Words received by Moses. Imagine the emotions that must have run high within these men as they perceived in their heart all that God was doing within them. Truly this is what made the mount holy and sacred.

Yesterday, many of us met around the Lord's Table. At that sacred place we experienced anew what God has done and is doing for us. It was an opportunity to plumb the spiritual realities of our lives and in the end to have peace instilled anew in our hearts. We left the Table fully aware of the potential God has given us to confront the world in which we live. Renewed and empowered. Ready to serve again. Ready to accurately report the Words of Jesus. How great is that? Are your emotions running high? Truly this is what made the Table holy and sacred.

Bibledoorajar: Oops, Did You Forget Something?

Moses, like Abraham before him, has been given certain assurances that God's Presence would be with him in service. But there came a time when Abraham was to move out that God called him to  "Walk before Me and be blameless". A study of the Hebrew word translated blameless shows it to mean "complete". God expected Abraham to live out his side of the covenant with God wholeheartedly and honestly and the sign of this would be circumcision.

Now, Moses would also have to deal with an ethical dilemma within his own household before he could complete his service in Egypt. It seems there had been an oversight and one of his son's had not been circumcised. This would, of course, present a "blemish" on a blameless walk before God for the act had not been completed which would give Moses and his household perfect standing before Him.
It was all about attaining the Divine standard for man's attainment ethically and righteously.

Zipporah, Moses's wife, observed Moses "pinned down" by a Heavenly Visitor who had the power to snuff out Mose's life. Just how Zipporah knew what the underlying problem was is not clear in the text, but she was aware. She took a flint and circumcised the son and thus completed the missing part of the covenant.

Years later, the Greater Son, completed the God appointed means to allow us to walk ethically and righteously before the Father. I hope you have not forgotten that part. Sure, you can walk in life, but you will not experience complete and blameless service to God without the acceptance of the covenant Jesus supplied.

   "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. "

                                                                                                  John 14:6

Bibledoorajar: In His Service

In His service implies a great many things. But most importantly it implies implicit trust in the God of the Heavens that He will supply. We are just like Moses, aren't we? We will trust in almost anything more than the Living God. It must be a human trait because we all deal with it. But God makes it plain over and over in the Bible that His ways are not our ways. Human preparations may help us accomplish something in this world, but service for God calls for Godly preparations. I often think of Jesus and how He prayed so much. He said He could do nothing except by the Father. There is a service that is only meaningful to God that is God prepared. Only when Moses denied himself, did God anoint him for service. It is His glory and His alone, that accomplishes Kingdom service.

Moses and Aaron will be going into the courts of Pharoah in His service. The courts of Pharoah with all earthly ability to make things happen. It is a powerful picture of what we all must face in this world if we are in His service. Will it all go without difficulty? No, but it will accomplish God's intentions if we remain in His service. Not all service is easy and frightening things can happen.  The Bible speaks of martyrs; servants who gave their lives for His service. Most were not treated justly or fairly by the world, but God's agenda was addressed. And, according to the book of Revelation, God hears the cries of those martyrs and has prepared justice for them. Whether we live or die in His service, we win. God wins. The kingdom wins. Implicit trust in God's plans. It's THE PLAN.

"My God will supply all your needs.
According to His riches in glory."
                               Philippians 4:19

Paul, the writer of the above verse should know. He was a recipient and look what was accomplished for the Kingdom.

Bibledoorajar: Moses, The Servant of God

We have been following the transformation of one sinful man into a true servant of God. Born with awareness that he was a Hebrew, Moses spent many years exposed to an opportunity to live as an Egyptian. First, he was saved by an Egyptian who exhibited compassion and tenderness for him. She saw that he was exposed to every power that can be claimed by earthly knowledge and reasoning.  Perhaps her goal was to obliterate from his memory that he was a Hebrew and to make his people of low account. Or, perhaps she just wanted the best for her adopted son. She was not afraid to expose him to his Hebrew roots as she did call in a Hebrew woman to nurture him. How much teaching did he get about the truths of faith during this time we do not know clearly. However, we do know that somewhere deep in all of his experiences, he shared his adopted mother's compassion for Hebrews in need. Everything within him wanted to smite the oppressor of the people of God. Smite. However, what he was yet to learn was that he really did not have within him the ability to deal with the consequences of smiting. Killing, he ran and came face to face with consequences he did not know how to handle.

But now, in the desert, Moses has been esposed to the staff of God. This support, this divine truth alone can smite and deal with all the consequences to bring forth justice and truth. This Divine truth will be the principle from which Moses has been called to lead. To this man who had grown up in Egypt where knowledge was so exalted and men who had power and position ruled without compassion, came the assurance of Divine Truth. God would prevail against evil. Moses would stand believing that He would deliver His people from bondage and deal with ALL the consequences that would follow.

Years later, the Greater Son, would come to show the world of God's provision for them against evil. Humans cannot prevail against it. Helpless, we like Moses, must "lean on the everlasting arms." He alone can deliver. Trust Him? That's the lesson that Moses had to learn. How about you?