my burg

Bible reading for Mar 1:  Exodus 12:21-51; Luke 15. There's no assigned reading in the RMM plan for leap day, Feb 29.  "For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you."  (Exodus 12:23) The tenth plague, the death of the firstborn , foreshadows the death of The Firstborn -- the unique, eternal, and preeminent Son of God the Father. The blood of sacrificial animals, such as the Passover lamb, cannot actually take away sins (Heb 10:4). Yet, as John the Baptist announced, God's Son can: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29)  The lamb of the Passover in Exodus "...shall be without blemish, a male a year old" (12:5).  And so, Jesus "offered himself without blemish to God" (Heb 9:14) . Every home would need the blood of th...

Bible reading Feb 28:  Exodus 11-12:20; Luke 14. "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."  (Luke 14:11)  Last year my wife and I enjoyed visiting a number of homes built by Frank Lloyd Wright.  One of many characteristic features of his buildings was his use of "compression and release". We would walk down a long narrow corridor and then enter into a much larger space, often with a beautiful vista. It was very remarkable!   The Lord Jesus describes his kingdom in similar terms.  His coming kingdom will be glorious and global, filling the earth with his righteous reign. But we enter it through " the narrow door " (13:24), like a small gate to a large estate. It is small and unnoticed, like a mustard seed, or leaven in bread dough.   In Luke 14 he describes his kingdom as a great wedding feast , like a banquet put on by royalty. But the invitation is one that is easily neglected ...

Bible reading for Feb 27:  Exodus 10; Luke 13. "...that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD." (Exodus 10:2) The natural order of things. We are enjoying the early spring weather here in southwest Virginia, with warmer breezes, birds singing, and green shoots and swelling buds all around. I like all of the seasons: the shade of our large maple on a hot summer day, the autumn colors, and a warm fire on a cold winter day. God's word tells us that these are gifts from God ("seedtime and harvest", Gen 8:22) and a testimony to his goodness (Acts 14:17; 17:26).  This includes social order, as well, such as living under a just rule of law, being able to work and do business, going to church, having neighbors who care for you, celebrating birthdays, and enjoying the blessings of family and friends. We are given these gi...

Bible reading for Feb 26:  Exodus 9; Luke 12. "But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die." (Exodus 9:4) The plagues continue, but with a difference (Ex 9:4).  "The Lord will make a distinction..."  Much of Egypt will suffer in the succeeding plagues, but the land of Goshen, where Israel dwells, will be spared.  The theme of division, or separation, is a key theme throughout Scripture.   Before God fills the earth (Gen 1) he first separates:  light from dark, sky from water, land from sea. And then he fills it with good creatures.  God separates Seth from Cain, Noah from the pre-flood world, Abraham from Chaldea, Lot from Sodom, and now Israel from Egypt. Later it will be the church taken out from all the nations.  Separated to the Lord.   This has great bearing upon our life and behavior.  A little late...

Bible reading for Feb 25:  Exodus 8; Luke 11. "Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, 'This is the finger of God.' But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said." (Exodus 8:19) Smack-down of the gods.  The Nile River environment provided a unique and usually dependable cycle of seasons for Egypt, and like many peoples in the ancient near east (ANE) the Egyptians deified nature .  A quick glance at their deities show how much they revered the order of nature, with the sun, the river, and all the animals. So the plagues, by disrupting the natural order, demonstrated the impotence of the Egyptian gods to protect Egypt.  In this way the plagues were judgments not only upon the leaders of Egypt, and the people, but also upon their gods (Ex 12:12). The last plague, the death of firstborn males, was especially devastating since the firstborn male heir of Pharaoh was also considered a god.  Pharaoh behaving badly. ...

Bible reading Feb 24:  Exodus 7; Luke 10. "The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them."  (Exodus 7:5) The plagues begin (Ex 7).   Nine times in Exodus God tells us that people will come to " know that I am the Lord ."  (Btw, this phrase appears a whopping 72 times in the book of Ezekiel!)  Every single person on earth will come to know one day, or one way or another, that the Lord is God .  We will know either by redemption -- he has powerfully rescued us -- or by judgment, which will also come in power. The big question for each of us is, in what way shall we come to know the Lord in his power? Egypt will face ten very serious plagues , as recorded over the next several chapters.  In many ways these plagues were judgments upon the gods of Egypt in whom the people trusted.  But more on this in tomorrow's reading. =================   ...

Bible reading weekend Feb 22-23:  Exodus 5-6; Luke 8-9. "For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all."  (Exodus 5:23) When things get worse rather than better (Ex 5).   We may come to trust the Lord, but then find that things get worse rather than better.  We experience serious setbacks, difficulties, and opposition to our faith.  We face trials that we never expected.  It seems like it's three steps forward and two steps back!   So, Moses speaks to Pharaoh, and things get worse for the people of Israel.  The work orders increase, and needed resources are cut off.  The Israelites become disheartened : "...they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery" (Ex 6:9).  Pharaoh is hardened.   The Lord had said that he would strengthen Pharaoh's sinful intentions: "But I will harden his heart, so that he will not l...

Bible reading for Feb 21:  Exodus 4; Luke 7. But [ Moses ] said, "Oh, my Lord, please send someone else." (Exodus 4:13) "Send someone else" (Ex 4). The Bible never whitewashes the failings of the heroes of the faith. Every portrait is painted with warts and all.  Moses does not really want his assignment as deliverer of God's people. He gives excuse after excuse .  My take-away: we can never exempt ourselves from obeying God by some limitation we have, or think we have.  God says, "Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." (Ex 4:11-12)    Killing Moses? Perhaps the most surprising (and abrupt) thing about this chapter is verse 24: "At a lodging place on the way the LORD met him and sought to put him to death."   As God's leader, Moses is not exempt from obeying God. Apparently, in ...

Bible reading for Feb 20:   Exodus 3; Luke 6. Yesterday's post is here.   God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM."  And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exodus 3:14) God's name.  At the burning bush, God reveals his name to Moses as "I am".  When spoken in the third person singular ("he is") the word is yhwh (with vowel pointing: Yahweh ). These Hebrew letters, YHWH, are called the "Tetragrammaton," and no one is completely certain how the name was pronounced.  But this name, usually translated as "LORD" in modern versions, is used over 5,000 times  in the Scriptures.    What's in a name?  What's does God's name mean ?  The meaning could be summarized as, " The God Who Is ".  But there's a lot of meaning packed into that name. YHWH gives us insight into God's character and attributes...  1)  He is personal:   “I am” [ not, "i...

Bible reading for Feb 19:  Exodus 2; Luke 5. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, "Because," she said, "I drew him out of the water." (Ex 2:10) Through the water.   In fulfillment of the covenant to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the seed of Israel multiplies greatly , but in time is brought into slavery .  But, like God created the world out of water, and saved Noah through the water, so also Moses was set in an ark and saved through the water.   At the appointed time he will then lead the nation through the waters of the Red Sea .  These images, along with baptism, typify God's salvation of his people, including you and me (1 Cor 10:1-2; 1 Peter 3:20-21).   Not by human might. The deliverance of God's people will not come about by Moses' physical, violent intervention , as demonstrated in 2:11-15.  He flees to Midian and settles there (2:16-22).  Someone once said t...

Bible reading for Feb 18:  Exodus 1; Luke 4. "But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them..." (Ex 1:17)  Pro-life midwives.   About two hundred years later, the book of Exodus opens with a much different situation than Genesis closed with. The tribes of Israel have grown in numbers and power. But the Egyptian authorities felt threatened and subjugated the Israelites as slaves .  The command went forth for the Hebrew midwives to destroy the male babies. The two women, Shiphrah and Puah, go down in sacred history along with Peter and the apostles, who believed, "We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).   So, before we meet Moses, we meet these two courageous women.   The fear of God.   It is possible to say that you love God (in some sense) without fearing him. But God, who is the only true and righteous God, is worthy of all reverence.  This is not the same thing as being afraid of God (1 Joh...