Exodus 17:8-19:15
Matthew 22:34-23:12
Psalm 27:7-14
Proverbs 6:27-35
Exodus 18:10 “Praise the Lord,” Jethro said, “for he has rescued you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh. Yes, he has rescued Israel from the powerful hand of Egypt! 11 I know now that the Lord is greater than all other gods, because he rescued his people from the oppression of the proud Egyptians.”
When I read this my thought was that Jethro didn't really know "the Lord is greater than all other gods". But he was the priest of Midian so it is possible that he worshiped the Lord but I think it is also possible that he was a priest for many gods as many different gods were worshiped in Midian. The fact that he says "the Lord is greater than all other gods" makes me believe that the Lord is one of many god's that he knew of. He may have personally believed in the God of the Israelites as his primary God to worship and at this point that decision was locked in. I would be curious to know at what point he starts to understand that there is only one God and that all the others that people worshiped were false gods. This makes me think of growing up knowing who Jesus is and believing in Him and what He did for me but not living like it. I didn't think that I was following other gods then but when I look at my life and all the things that I did and valued I clearly was chasing after false gods. There came a time in my life when I decided that the word of God was ALL true and I needed to surrender to those truths, and I started to follow Him in complete surrender. That is when I acknowledged that He was greater than anything else in my life.
Exodus 18:17 “This is not good!” Moses’ father-in-law exclaimed. 18 “You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.
Here I thought about the recurring message of the need for a sabbath rest. "You're going to wear yourself out" resonates with me. I do not do as much as I used to. But He has to remind me once in a while to be careful not to wear myself out. I can do less because God has given me people in my life to help me.
Exodus 18:22 They should always be available to solve the people’s common disputes, but have them bring the major cases to you. Let the leaders decide the smaller matters themselves. They will help you carry the load, making the task easier for you.
People who I can trust and rely on.
Exodus 17:12 Moses’ arms soon became so tired he could no longer hold them up. So Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on. Then they stood on each side of Moses, holding up his hands. So his hands held steady until sunset.
And when I get tired they will hold me up and help me to do whatever it is that I need to do. I don't have to do it alone. The women's conference and youth group are great examples of this. Marcy Korb, Denise Baker, Margie Shoop and Rick Harbaugh all have taken on things that I would have tried to do on my own in the past. They have taken on much of the work in preparing for conference and youth group. As the leaders of the smaller groups took on much of Moses work they have taken on much of my work. And when I start to feel tired and weak they lift me up in prayer, and with encouraging words and even say go take a nap when needed. They are my Aaron and Hur that kept me going. Thank you Lord for placing them in my life. And thank you to them for heeding the call to help.
Exodus 18:19:10 Then the Lord told Moses, “Go down and prepare the people for my arrival. Consecrate them today and tomorrow, and have them wash their clothing.
This makes me think of a message I heard a part of on the radio yesterday. The message was on Pathway to Victory about preparing for the end times. Pastor Jeffress starts telling a story about President Isenhower visiting a young boy who was dying of cancer because of an open letter that was in the newspaper where the boy said he would like to meet the president. When he showed up at the house unannounced the father answered the door in an old t-shirt, faded jeans and with an unshaven face. Which took the excitement away from the fact that he was there. He was embarrassed. Pastor Jeffress then says many believers are going to be embarrassed when Jesus returns. That is all that I heard of the message so I found the podcast for it and linked it below and plan to listen to the rest of it. But in Exodus 18 we see God telling Moses to have the people to clean themselves up and prepare to meet with God. That is how we should be living. Fortunately, they knew when it was going to happen and were given the time to be ready. We don't know when Jesus will return. In fact, we know that it will be unannounced. We need to live every day as though that time is now and consecrate our lives to the Lord.
How Do I Prepare for the End Times? – Part 1 - Listen to Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress, Feb 1, 2024 (oneplace.com)
Matthew 23:2 “The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses. 3 So practice and obey whatever they tell you, but don’t follow their example. For they don’t practice what they teach.
We should not just put on our best appearance. The clean clothes and following rights and rituals mean nothing unless we consecrate our hearts to the Lord. Jesus teaches that we do need to follow the laws of God but we also need to follow His example and not look to the example of humans. Let's face it there is no pastor, priest or teacher on this planet that is perfect. If we are looking to a fully human person as our example we will get something wrong. But if we look to Jesus who is not just fully human but fully God then we will be on the right path to be ready for His return. He will take off our old dirty T-shirts. The ones that cover our body, our minds and our hearts, and put on us the robe of His righteousness. We will then be dressed in His righteousness alone and faultless stand before the throne.
Psalm24:7 Hear me as I pray, O Lord.
Be merciful and answer me!
8 My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.”
My prayer as I seek His will and guidance in all that He has been telling me.
Beautiful words, Toni. but it is you who lifts me up and helps me clean myself up and be a presentable vessel of everything Jesus. Love you.