Monthly Archives: November 2011

The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20)

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Bible Summary:

God speaks the Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites:
1. Worship no other God.
2. Do not worship any images or idols.
3. Do not use God’s name for evil.
4. Do all your work in six days, rest on the seventh day and worship God.
5. Respect your father and your mother.
6. Do not commit murder.
7. Do not commit adultery.
8. Do not steal.
9. Do not accuse anyone falsely.
10. Do not desire another man’s house, wife, or anything he owns.

My Thoughts:

The Ten Commandments seem to boil down to: worship God, rest one day a week, treat others well, and do not covet what other people have.

More: I believe the last commandment is in jeapordy the most today and the reason people are so unhappy. Everyone seems to want more: a bigger house, a more expensive car, a bigger TV, and so on. They even seem to discard their husbands and wives to trade-up to a better spouse. The road to happiness is paved with cherishing what you already have.

God’s Boundary at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19)

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Bible Summary:

The Israelites arrive at Mount Sinai. God tells Moses to remind them what he did to the Egyptian and how He carried them like upon eagles wings. He asks them to keep his covenant and to be his chosen people. The people agree.

God tells them to purify themselves and then He will come down the mountain to see them. They are not to cross a boundary though, upon death by stoning or being shot with arrows.

On the third day, thunder, lightening and clouds appear above the mountain. A loud trumpet blasts and the people tremble with fear. They stand at the foot of the mountain with Moses to meet God. The mountain is covered in smoke as God comes down on the fire. God asks Moses to bring Aaron up the mountain, but no one else.

My Thoughts:

Chosen People: This story is the first instance of the Israelites being called the chosen people, at least in my Bible. I believe it was to give them the confidence to overcome 430 years of slavery.

Ruled by Kings: I grew up with a loving God so fearing Him is so foreign to me. It kind of seems like the Israelites moved from the king of Egypt to being ruled by the “kings” of Israel through the fear of God.

NEWS: Faster than light?

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Scientist are having a hard time believing test neutrinos went faster than the speed of light from Switzerland to Italy since that is impossible by Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity. The test was confirmed twice, but in a third test the scientist are saying the results must be wrong.  Now, if I remember my science history correctly, Einstein’s theory in 1906 changed our thinking about Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion, by improving upon them. Perhaps Einstein’s theory needs a tweak after 105 years?

Learn more about the OPERA and ICARUS experiments in the Study rejects “faster than light” particle finding story at Reuters.

Moses Appoints Judges (Exodus 18)

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Bible Summary:

Moses’ father-in-law Jethro brings Moses’ wife and two sons to Mount Sinai. Moses tells Jethro all about what happened in Egypt, the hardships the Israelites have endured since, and how God saved them. Jethro praises the Lord above all gods.

Moses spends the whole next day settling disputes among the Israelites. Jethro watches, tells Moses it is too much work for one man, and suggests he teach them God’s commands and appoint leaders different sized groups. Moses appoints these leaders who judge small disputes and only bring him difficult matters, which lessens his burden.

My Thoughts:

Organizational Structure: Jethro teaches Moses how to organize the Israelites into a more manageable structure and to delegate the work to lower leaders, so he does not have to spend his whole day settling disputes.

Asking for Help: Like Moses, it is sometimes hard for us to ask for help. We think we can do it ourselves, we can do it better, or we do not want to burden someone else. Normally we end up being overworked and stressed out.

Change your thinking and it can dramatically improve your life. The key is to switch from doer to teacher. Yes, you can do it yourself, but you could also give someone else an opportunity to learn a new skill and to shine. And, yes, you will definitely do it better, but just think how they will feel once they master it. Treat them like a toddler learning to walk though: let them do it on their own, expect them to make mistakes, and give them encouragement and praise for even little successes. Last, it is not a burden to learn a new skill that can be used for the rest of their life.

In the end, you will be less stressed and have have helped someone along the way.

Israelites First War (Exodus 17:8-16)

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Bible Summary:

The Amalekites attack the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses calls Joshua to pick out some men to fight back. The Israelites do well as long as Moses raises his stick on a hill above the battle, but falter when he lowers it, so Aaron and Hur bring him a stone to keep the stick held high all day until they win.

My Thoughts:

The Stone: There are many ways to interpret this story. It can be viewed strictly as a historical event where the Israelites won their first battle. Or, the focus can be placed on Joshua stepping up to Moses’ call to begin what becomes a long military career. Another approach is how God helped the Israelites again through Moses’ use of God’s stick to help his troops. And, one could always talk about how they never would have won without Aaron and Hur’s help.

But, I would like to focus on one other element of the story – the stone. The stone seems to be a very insignificant part of the story, but without it the Israelites would have lost and we likely would not be studying the Bible today. The stone carries the weight and does its job without complaint. The stone receives no acknowledgement, no praise, but that is okay because it is just a stone.

Sometimes we feel like the stone. We may be the pivotal part of the operation, hold up our role, and then someone else receives all the glory, like Joshua and Moses. Don’t let it get you down. God knows what you did and He will reward you. Hopefully I am speaking for Him today by sending you a heartfelt “Thank You.”

Water from a Rock (Exodus 17:1-7)

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Bible Summary:

The Israelites continue their journey but soon complain again to Moses about not having enough water, so God sends him on ahead to Mount Sinai with some leaders of Israel. Moses strikes a rock with his stick and water begins to flow.

My Thoughts:

Miracles: God did some amazing miracles for the Israelites, so we wonder why He fails to show up now, especially when times are difficult for us or others close to us. We wonder why He won’t help me find a job, heal my son from cancer, save my house from the mortgage company, or help me pay the bills?

God is not here to give us everything we want. But, He is here to give us everything we need. Many of us need to struggle to build our confidence, to build our faith. God knows that when everything is given to us we become complacent, we do not try. And, if you do not try, then you will miss out on your calling. And, believe it or not, your calling is the true miracle, because many of God’s works are done through people like you. God calls us to be the miracle, so be that miracle today.

Witnesses: Moses brought along witnesses to Mount Sinai to prove to the rest that the water flowed from the rock. It is so difficult to believe without actually witnessing miracles for yourself.  Hang in there, you will see and you will believe – in time.

NEWS: Google working on incredible innovations

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Google’s founders have created a lab called Google X which is investing time, money, and expertise into developing the next innovations that may bring us human-like robots, space elevators, and more.  This sound so much like Thomas Edison’s Menlo Park where he invented many new products including the light bulb.  Read the whole Top-secret facility working to awaken dreams story at the Columbus Dispatch.

Addendum: Manna from Heaven (Exodus 16)

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Bible Summary:

A month and a half after leaving Egypt, the Israelites are just opposite a desert from Mount Sinai when they start complaining to Moses about him starving them to death. God tells Moses He will rain food down from the sky and that the people must collect enough, two quarts each, except on the sixth day when they are to collect four. Moses and Aaron tell the Israelites that God has heard their complaints “against Him”. Once the morning dew evaporates, thin and flaky white seeds that taste like thin cakes made with homey covered the desert. They ate this manna from heaven for the next forty years until they reached Canaan.

My Thoughts:

Enough: I missed a key point about the God Provides Manna for the Israelites story … the concept of enough. God provided for the needs of the Israelites, but some of them wanted more, so He only let the manna last for a day or two. They gathered only what they needed each day, no more, and God fed them for forty years.

Many people always want more now-a-days. They upgrade cell phones as soon as possible, trade up to better cars, redecorate their living space or move to one with more room, and work more and more to move up the corporate ladder and earn more money. The key question is, when will they be satisfied? When will they have enough?