Inside Out Living

Like many kids, my oldest son had a paralyzing fear of Santa Clause when he was younger. I find this phenomenon very curious since there is nothing about this character, even if he were real, that is to be truly feared. The worst he could do would be to give you coal in your stocking instead of toys.

The fear Isaiah experienced when he encountered the LORD was a more legitimate fear, I think. Certainly Isaiah was familiar with God’s declaration to Moses that no one may see God and live (Ex. 33:20).

Why is it that we observe so few people who exhibit a genuine fear of God? It is directly related to how they view God. Isaiah feared God when he saw him for who He really is. People who view God more like a divine Santa Clause find that there is nothing to fear. They believe that God is merely a kind, loving, benevolent being who can only withhold gifts, not bring judgment.

May you come to a full understanding of who God is and realize that it is right to fear God.

(Because devotionals didn't get posted over the Labor Day weekend this is the first of two devotionals for today)

Our God is a god of justice and righteousness who cannot allow sin to go unpunished. This has been very evident in the readings of the law where we see God’s high standards of holiness and moral living. However, our God is also “the merciful and gracious God.” He is “slow to anger and rich in unfailing love and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). I think that the concept of the cities of refuge is a wonderful example of these character traits of God.

In the Noahic Covenant in Genesis 9, God declares that anyone who commits murder must be killed (Genesis 9:5b-6). Now in Joshua 20 we see God exercising grace and compassion on those who have killed unintentionally.

As Christian brothers and sisters we continue to live with a sin nature that creeps up on us now and then. Fortunately the Merciful and Gracious God who established the cities of refuge is that same God whom we can go to for grace and forgiveness when we sin.

During this week you will read over two thirds of Deuteronomy. Some of it will be repetitive to portions of Exodus and Leviticus. This is where the name for the book comes from. In Greek deutero means second, and nomos means law, therefore the name Deuteronomy means second law or second giving of the law.

And our theme for this week is New Beginnings, for as Moses reiterates the law, Israel is on the verge of a grand new beginning in the Promised Land.

The first three chapters of Deuteronomy recap the last forty years of wilderness
wanderings. The whole book is Moses’ final message to Israel and, in this opening section, his purpose is to remind them of how they got to this point.

Remembering our past is an important part of moving forward into the future. For Israel, remembering what God had done was essential. When Israel forgot the mighty deeds God had done in rescuing them out of Egypt, His provision in the wilderness, and His placement of them in the Promised Land; then Israel would stray from their covenant relationship with Him.

Remembering is important for us too. Christians can forget how lost in sin we were before receiving Christ. This forgetfulness is dangerous because it can develop within us a sense of entitlement to God’s grace. Then we begin to see ourselves as righteous when, without the work of Christ, our righteousness is like filthy rages. Rather, if we can remember how sinful we truly are, then we will see God’s grace as the unmerited favor that it is.

God’s justice is not often talked about in our churches. We would much rather talk about His love and mercy and grace. The story of Korah, Dathan and Abiram is a vivid reminder that our God is a just God who cannot let sin go unpunished. These men were challenging the leadership of Moses and Aaron, and worse, they were in rebellion to the Lord.

For me, the difficult part of this passage is that the families were punished as well. This is an illustration of God’s very own description of himself in Exodus 34:7, “I will show unfailing love to many thousands by forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. Even so I do not leave sin unpunished, but I punish the children for the sins of their parents to the third and fourth generations.”

As unfair as it may seem we see the impact parental sin has on children lived out every day. Some will walk away from the Lord because of the sins of their parents. To those who are living with the impact of a parent’s sin, know that there is grace available in Jesus to break that bondage of sin.

In our first seven years of marriage, my wife Kristi and I had seven different addresses. We would often make jokes about being part nomadic or having the “year-and-a-half itch.” However, through those years and all the moves, one thing was consistent – it was always our decision when we moved.

As you read today, that was not necessarily the case for the Israelites. How would you like it if every day you woke up and had to check if the cloud had moved to know if you were leaving or staying? It didn’t matter how much you liked your current spot, if the cloud was moving, it was time to go. I would imagine that many of us would begin to complain and grumble if we had to live like that. And yet in a way we do live this way. If you are at all concerned with being in God’s will and He says “go,” then you will go.

Are you willing to follow God’s direction? If God were to say “go,” would you go? How will you go? Will you complain and grumble or will you go joyfully knowing that God is leading you?

I recently returned from a retreat with some middle school boys. While at this retreat, I discovered that they can easily get lost in the details of a story and totally miss the point. I hope that isn’t the case for you as you read this passage today. I say that because, in the middle of all those details, is a simple phrase “just as the Lord had commanded Moses.” All of those details were important because they were commanded by God. It is not as though the craftsmen could have changed their minds and disregarded the instructions from God. They followed every single detail God had given them.

God gave them great detail on the tabernacle and he gives us detail on how to live as well. So, are you willing to live life God’s way? Or are you going to ignore God’s instructions on how to live? The craftsmen of Israel were willing to follow God’s instruction and build His way. If you will do the same, your life will be one of beauty just like the tabernacle was.

The devotionals for this week are centered on the theme of submission. Each one will cause you to think about a different element of our need to submit to God's will and authority in our life.

I have yet to meet a church that has more money and resources than it can put to use. However, that is exactly what we see take place today. God’s people give above and beyond what is needed to build the tabernacle.

Now, my intent with today’s devotional is not to go off on the importance of giving, but I do want to note something interesting in Ex. 35:20-22. What most catches my attention isn’t what they brought or even how much they brought, but rather how they brought it. Everyone whose hearts were willing brought what they could. I think it is safe to say that not every Israelite gave to the building of the tabernacle, rather only those whose “hearts were stirred and desired to do so” gave their offerings.

This is how it is to work in our own lives. God doesn’t want us to give out of compulsion or obligation. If that is why you give then you should keep your money. Look at Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11. They gave out of a wrong motive and were dishonest in their giving. May you give as the Israelites gave, with willing hearts.

Exodus 10:1-2 really sums up the whole theme for this week’s devotionals. The hardness of Pharaoh’s heart allowed God to demonstrate His power through miracles among the Egyptians.

However during this time I would imagine that Moses and Aaron experienced some frustration as Pharaoh would repeatedly change his mind about letting them go. Moses and Aaron had to hold to the bigger perspective that God had given them. Could you imagine the history of Israel without the plagues of Egypt and God’s great deliverance? Time and time again God would remind His people of the great signs and wonders He did in Egypt. If Pharaoh had been a push-over, then God’s people would have no concept of His power and ability to deliver. There was indeed a bigger perspective in place.

Could it be that the times when it seems God is delaying an answer to prayer or is not delivering you from a situation that He is working with a bigger perspective?

In sending the plagues, God demonstrated His great power over all creation. In spite of all these demonstrations of power, I think there is something that reveals God’s power even more in this story. After every plague that takes place, we read that Pharaoh hardened his heart. That is, until you come to the plague of boils. If you notice, following the plague of boils, it says that the “Lord made Pharaoh even more stubborn.” (9:12).

Now wait a minute, you may be thinking, if God’s goal was to deliver Israel why would He make Pharaoh’s heart more hard or stubborn? While deliverance was God’s goal, it was not all that He was working to accomplish through the plagues. In 9:16 God reveals the greater purpose of revealing His power and seeing His fame, “spread throughout the earth.” So not only is God in control of all creation, but He is working on multiple levels at the same time.

I think that sometimes we lose sight of God’s ability to work in this way. We can become short-sighted and focus only on what we want God to accomplish in the here and now, instead of looking for the bigger picture that God might be doing.

The Israelites had lived under Egyptian oppression for a long time, so it was not difficult for Moses and Aaron to convince the leaders of Israel that God had sent them to free His people (4:31). They were convinced, that is, until things got difficult. Following Moses’ and Aaron’s first request for freedom, Pharaoh ordered their workload increased. This turned Israel against Moses and Aaron (5:21). Pharaoh showed his power by taking action, while God invited Moses, Aaron and all Israel to believe in His power to deliver them.

Do you find yourself ever trusting in the power of what you can see or touch rather than in God’s power? Are you like the Israelites who doubted God’s power to deliver when life becomes difficult? I think that God performed the plagues, not only to show His power to Pharaoh, but to His own people as well. What more does God have to do to prove His power to you?

Have you ever done something that can only be explained as the power of God working in your life? One experience of the power of God in my life was on a mission trip to Alaska, when our group was witnessing to members of the Bahai faith. While I recognize that God was speaking through me I also recognized that I had a part in the experience. God couldn’t have used me unless I had been willing to go on the trip and been willing to open my mouth. God’s power is truly amazing, but often God chooses to work through His servants. This means that we can either allow God to work or become a roadblock to His power.

God chose to work through Moses, but Moses was unsure about his role. Moses attempted to be a roadblock to God’s power. Thankfully for the Israelites, Aaron was willing to be used by God. Are you more like Moses or Aaron? Are you a roadblock to God’s power or are you willing to be used by God?

May you be willing to be used by God and thereby experience His power in your life.

Genesis 50:24 foreshadows the events of the book of Exodus as God led Israel out of Egypt. Joseph is speaking of a future time when God will lead His people back to the Promised Land. Why is it that Joseph can make this statement with any amount of confidence? It is because Joseph believes in the sovereignty of God. He experienced the hand of God in his own life and he was taught about the great promises God made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so he has no difficulty in knowing that God will act on His promises.

God’s sovereignty is part of the reason we can have hope for the future. God’s promises concerning the future would be meaningless if He is not sovereign. His ability to bring about His plan of redemption would be subject to failure if He wasn’t sovereign. Joseph did not worry over the future of Israel for he knew God’s sovereignty. Do you worry or fret over the future? We all do at times, but those who trust in a sovereign God are not consumed by such worry. What a blessing to know that God is in control of our future.