Bibledoorajar: What Were We Thinking?

     After the Israelites made their escape there were second thoughts on the part of the Egyptians. What in the world were they thinking! Now they had lost access to their longtime slaves.  Emboldened by God to give chase, Pharoah made ready to get the slaves back. Neither the Israelites nor the Egyptians knew what lay before them. The Israelites had taken care to follow all directions. Their feet were shod with shoes and their staffs were in their hand. They had also remembered Joseph's request that he had made in faith---that his bones would also go with them to the Promised Land. Now God had ensured that the leadership remember this request after over 400 years! Let the pilgrimage begin. The pilgrims, leaning on their staffs, set out to go through country they had never seen before. But none of it was to be their permanent dwelling. They were to keep walking toward the Promised Land.
     Christians are often reminded that this world is not our home. It is the rod and staff of God that comfort us as we pilgrimage toward our permanent dwelling. The Word is a great comfort to us on the way. We encourage each other to keep walking. What we may walk through looks (and is) hopeless but by faith we keep moving on. Along the way God places in our paths things and events that buoy our hope to keep walking.
     We learn in Deuteronomy that the whole time the Israelites were walking their shoes and clothing never wore out. This was God's assurance that they could keep walking. There in their houses they had applied the blood to their doorposts with hyssop and waited til morning to start their journey. We, too, have applied the blood of Christ symbolically to our lives and have started our journey. Like our Israelite brothers our walk began with our purchase by the l(L)amb. The apostle Paul challenges us not to quit but to finish just as Moses encouraged the Israelites. There is supernatural help to do so because, after all, "there is power, power, precious power in the blood of the Lamb."