moses's story contd...
moses and aaron met up, just as God instructed them to. aaron is moses's brother and God suggested that moses and aaron go to egypt together and aaron will serve as moses's mouthpiece (since moses kept saying that he doesn't have the eloquency/abilities etc).
moses and aaron met up with the elders of the israelites and told them that they were sent by God. the elders went to pharaoh to ask for the freedom of the israelites but pharaoh refused and instead put the people to more harsh labor.
the israelite elders were upset that pharaoh was angry with them, so they went and insulted moses and aaron for putting them up to this.
moses asked God why He chose moses and also why he brought upon oppression to the israelites. since God promised to fulfill the covenant he made with abraham to take care of his people, God was going to redeem the israelites and free them from slavery. God told moses that through the rescuing of the people, God's great power would be shown.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Thursday, January 5, 2012
the story ch 4
note to self: this post is for the update that i should've posted on...... wednesday 1/4
the israelites flourished in egypt. this is now a long time after jacob & sons died. there was a new pharaoh in the land that didn't look favorably upon the israelites flourishing in egypt. so he became jealous, and to spite them, he made them into slaves and put them to labor.
but even through oppression, israelites did not cease to grow in numbers and become widespread. so now pretty much all the egyptians hated the israelites.
->i feel like i have the heart of an egyptian most of the time. i'm a very jealous person :(
pharaoh gave a ridiculous order to have all hebrew boys thrown into the nile river. a levite man and levite woman had a son, and she kept hi for three months. but then she couldn't hide him anymore, so she sent him down in a basket on the nile. then the pharaoh's daughter found the baby and decided to raise him. this baby was named moses.
moses grew up and became an adult and saw that the egyptians were oppressing his own people. when he witnessed an egyptian beating a hebrew man, he killed the egyptian and hid the body.
-> :-O i didn't know moses did this.
moses ran away and went to live in a place called midian. although he was on the run for murder, i guess deep down his heart/intentions were for justice/good, and he helped rescue some women that came to fetch water from shepherds that tried to drive these women away from the well. moses married one of the daughters.
the israelites that were enslaved cried out to God. God was concerned about them so He sought out moses. he appeared to moses in flames of fire that seemed to be burning the bush. God told moses that he picked moses to send to egypt and bring israelites out of there. but moses didn't think he could do the job and kept on telling God to send someone else. God told him over and over that God will be with moses and he has nothing to worry about.
-> why did God pick moses? moses was of the lineage of adam/eve/noah/important ppl from the earlier days? moses said that he wasn't a very eloquent speaker and there were other people that could do the job better but God was adamant that moses was the one. and also, moses was a murderer. yes i can see that he felt that he had to stand up for his people but he executed it in a terrible way. oh so then maybe this was God giving moses another chance. yes he committed murder, but this was God's way of redeeming moses despite his sinfulness by giving him the job to rescue the israelites admirably and righteously, through holy anointing and blessing from God.
-> moses might have felt like he was a nobody and maybe felt sad/still guilty about his past sins... and i wonder if he thought that there was no way he could be holy enough to face God. (it does say that when moses first encountered God in the bushes, he hid his face b/c he was afraid to face God)
-> for me... there's so many times throughout the day when i feel like my old mistakes and sins are catching up to me and i can't outrun them all. and i feel like i can't even ask God for help. but like with moses, God shows once again that he is almighty - i mean, he MADE us... so i'm thankful that i can turn to God. i don't have answers right now and i'm not sure where things are gonna be going, but there's a master that's above everything in my small little world.
the israelites flourished in egypt. this is now a long time after jacob & sons died. there was a new pharaoh in the land that didn't look favorably upon the israelites flourishing in egypt. so he became jealous, and to spite them, he made them into slaves and put them to labor.
but even through oppression, israelites did not cease to grow in numbers and become widespread. so now pretty much all the egyptians hated the israelites.
->i feel like i have the heart of an egyptian most of the time. i'm a very jealous person :(
pharaoh gave a ridiculous order to have all hebrew boys thrown into the nile river. a levite man and levite woman had a son, and she kept hi for three months. but then she couldn't hide him anymore, so she sent him down in a basket on the nile. then the pharaoh's daughter found the baby and decided to raise him. this baby was named moses.
moses grew up and became an adult and saw that the egyptians were oppressing his own people. when he witnessed an egyptian beating a hebrew man, he killed the egyptian and hid the body.
-> :-O i didn't know moses did this.
moses ran away and went to live in a place called midian. although he was on the run for murder, i guess deep down his heart/intentions were for justice/good, and he helped rescue some women that came to fetch water from shepherds that tried to drive these women away from the well. moses married one of the daughters.
the israelites that were enslaved cried out to God. God was concerned about them so He sought out moses. he appeared to moses in flames of fire that seemed to be burning the bush. God told moses that he picked moses to send to egypt and bring israelites out of there. but moses didn't think he could do the job and kept on telling God to send someone else. God told him over and over that God will be with moses and he has nothing to worry about.
-> why did God pick moses? moses was of the lineage of adam/eve/noah/important ppl from the earlier days? moses said that he wasn't a very eloquent speaker and there were other people that could do the job better but God was adamant that moses was the one. and also, moses was a murderer. yes i can see that he felt that he had to stand up for his people but he executed it in a terrible way. oh so then maybe this was God giving moses another chance. yes he committed murder, but this was God's way of redeeming moses despite his sinfulness by giving him the job to rescue the israelites admirably and righteously, through holy anointing and blessing from God.
-> moses might have felt like he was a nobody and maybe felt sad/still guilty about his past sins... and i wonder if he thought that there was no way he could be holy enough to face God. (it does say that when moses first encountered God in the bushes, he hid his face b/c he was afraid to face God)
-> for me... there's so many times throughout the day when i feel like my old mistakes and sins are catching up to me and i can't outrun them all. and i feel like i can't even ask God for help. but like with moses, God shows once again that he is almighty - i mean, he MADE us... so i'm thankful that i can turn to God. i don't have answers right now and i'm not sure where things are gonna be going, but there's a master that's above everything in my small little world.
proverbs 4
the importance of wisdom reinforced over and over again.
what wisdom will do for you:
-protects and watches over you
-exalts and honors you
-give you grace
-give you a crown of splendor
what a life of wisdom looks like:
-straight path
-your steps will not be hampered
-you will not stumble
-"like the gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter til the full light of day" (what amazing imagery- love this)
what to do with it when you receive wisdom:
-guard it well
-do not let it go
-keep it deep within your heart
isaiah 48
man... reading isaiah can seem repetitive but the good thing is... it really reinforces the story of the Israelites. God knows how to deal with STUBBORN hearts (ahem hehe). the passage was even called "stubborn israel" or something. the Israelites: prime example of God's redemption for a very stubborn/wayward/sinful group of people. they sinned against God and had the worst attitudes... but yet, God shows them so much grace and saves them again and again.
WHY would he show grace? (from v.11)
-bc they are His chosen ones and He loves them as his own children
-for His name sake, He will not be defamed, He will not yield his glory to another
that's so encouraging! as God's chosen ones, HE WILL NEVER let you go - not only for your sake but HIS name sake. that's a serious promise. :)
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
proverbs 2
must seek wisdom like a hidden treasure- if you ask for it, you will receive it! and he promises to "guard the course of the just and protect the way of his faithful ones." need lots of wisdom during this time as i start out the new year and plan for things ahead with grad school, etc.
isaiah 46
God reminding Israelites that there are no other gods before him. none can compare to him. He is supreme and "His purpose will stand" and His plans will always work out no matter what. unlike the wicked, who chooses to control their own futures.. their plans will always fail and lead to destruction. there is so much safety and security when we choose to follow His will... His plan will never fail or fall through so we can trust He'll lead us on stable ground. He reminds his people that He created us and gave us our existence! so OF COURSE he will sustain us til the very end. Nothing will get in the way of His will. very reassuring. :)
Monday, January 2, 2012
the story ch 3 contd
the story of joseph and the technicolor dreamcoat (hehe) continues on... the rest of what happened is probably familiar to you too so i'll skip the summary today.
joseph forgives his brothers and says that he must have been sold/sent to egypt to prepare for a reason... so that he can become a high official and prepare for the future (giving his family food and a comfortable place to live during the famine). so nice of him to say that. i'm embarrassed b/c i have so much trouble forgiving my family for anything. and also joseph gives all credit to God- one more thing i have a hard time doing...
joseph forgives his brothers and says that he must have been sold/sent to egypt to prepare for a reason... so that he can become a high official and prepare for the future (giving his family food and a comfortable place to live during the famine). so nice of him to say that. i'm embarrassed b/c i have so much trouble forgiving my family for anything. and also joseph gives all credit to God- one more thing i have a hard time doing...
Sunday, January 1, 2012
spent time writing a prayer for the new year and meditated on God's promises in the Word. i wanna cling to His promises this year, so it was really good going back and claiming His promises... even some of the most basic truths. i feel like i experienced the Gospel all over again... thinking about just who God is in my life. The last thing i wrote in my prayer is to have COURAGE this year - i decided that's my new theme for 2012.
i'm so glad i can start the new year claiming God's Truth in my life. wow, God is so good. seriously. He amazes me. :)
here are the verses i meditated on:
psalm 23
John 10:25-30
Psalm 136
Jeremiah 29:11
Ephesians 2:10
2 Corinth 12:9-10
Joshua 1:9
Matthew 28:20
John 15:15
John 16:33
Romans 5:18
Romans 6:18, 23
Galatians 5:1, 9
Romans 8: 28, 31-39
John 10:10
2 Corinth 5:17
John 4:13
Isaiah 55
John 6:35
Mathew 6:19
Romans 12:2
Matthew 7:9-11
Psalm 37:4
2 Timothy 4:7
Mathew 22:37-40
1 Thess 5:23-24
Saturday, December 31, 2011
the story - chapter 3 pt 1
jacob had lots of sons. the youngest was named joseph. the rest of the brothers didn't like joseph b/c he was their father's favorite. the brothers schemed to get rid of joseph. they wanted to kill him but ultimately decided to sell him to the ishmaelites that were passing by. then the ishmaelites sold joseph to the egyptians.
joseph started working for a wealthy egyptian man named potiphar. he managed to do everything well, so potiphar trusted him and everything that potiphar did/owned became successful. this was because God blessed joseph, and he was with joseph in everything joseph did, so naturally potiphar's household was successful.
potiphar's wife tried to tempt joseph but joseph resisted. because of this, potiphar's wife became angry and framed joseph. potiphar became angry with joseph and sent him to prison.
but even in prison God was with joseph. so joseph quickly became a trusted man and was put in charge of managing prisoners.
this story is familiar to me b/c of a funny reason... haha in high school i was in a musical. and that musical was joseph and the technicolor dreamcoat.
joseph started working for a wealthy egyptian man named potiphar. he managed to do everything well, so potiphar trusted him and everything that potiphar did/owned became successful. this was because God blessed joseph, and he was with joseph in everything joseph did, so naturally potiphar's household was successful.
potiphar's wife tried to tempt joseph but joseph resisted. because of this, potiphar's wife became angry and framed joseph. potiphar became angry with joseph and sent him to prison.
but even in prison God was with joseph. so joseph quickly became a trusted man and was put in charge of managing prisoners.
this story is familiar to me b/c of a funny reason... haha in high school i was in a musical. and that musical was joseph and the technicolor dreamcoat.
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