One of my favorite people in the Bible is Moses.
I mean his story is a story of redemption, of fighting against the powerful on behalf of the downtrodden, of submitting to God and having a front row seat at a display of His power.
It also comes with a long time of wandering around in a dry, hot desert while leading a bunch of complaining cry-babies. To be honest, I don't know how Moses put up with his people as long as he did. And when he is denied entering the Promised Land because he hits a rock in anger, you have to wonder as a reader how he didn't get to that level of frustration earlier, amiright?
He goes up to talk with God on the top of the mountain and comes down and the gang is dancing around a golden cow, having totally forgotten and forsaken the powerful God who has delivered them from their oppressive slavery.
It's easy from the comfort of a 2016 existence to look at such behavior and mock them for their lack of faith or consistency.
When you dig beneath the snark of how stupid and weak these people were, you actually get a realistic and gritty depiction of how stupid and weak we are. Just like the Israelites, our HEARTS are often COATED in FEAR.
One of my favorite passages of scripture comes during the excitement of the Exodus. Here the Israelites have left their bondage and are on the banks of the Red Sea. A literal pillar of fire and clouds has been leading them. They've seen countless miracles and plagues demonstrating God's power. And they saw the most powerful leader of their day, the Egyptian Pharaoh, lose his resolve and let them go.
I mean dude was like a defiant teen with his tremendous refusal to accept reality and submit to a greater authority. It seemed like he would never give in. But he finally did. And then about 10 minutes later when he realized that his slaves were gone and that he and his boys might have to lift a finger and work. So, he gets all confederate on the Israelites and chases after his "property."
And of course the Israelites melt into a pile of cowardly goo when they see the advancing Egyptian army. They literally start whining that it would be better to go back and be slaves then to experience freedom with God. (Another blog post for another time but very telling on our view of "freedom" and "slavery" when it comes to our society and submission to God!) As a response, Moses gives one of the most epic statements in the entire Bible in Exodus 14:13-14:
Be still. The LORD will fight for you. Stand firm.
In fact, the pillar of smoke and fire then goes between the Israelites and the Egyptians. And the Bible tells us that one on side it brought "darkness" and to the other side it brought "light" so that neither side went near it. God is darkness, confusion, and foolishness to those who don't trust Him. To those who do, however, He is a shield, a protector, a LIGHT that illuminates every aspect of life and history to make sense in a way not possible to someone not open to the things of God.
And just for kicks, God threw the mighty Egyptian army into confusion. Then Moses lifted his hands and raised his staff and God parted the Red Sea for His people to make perhaps the most dramatic exit in the history of the world. Oh, and then he made the Red Sea crash down onto the heads of the Egyptian army as they attempted to cross.
Pretty epic, right?
It's easy to mock the folly and fear of the Israelites as nothing but foolishness. And it was. However, it is a foolishness that we all share in. Whether it is the Israelites in the desert, Peter on the water, the disciples in the boat, or those of us today fretting about our family, our finances, our health, or even just whether or not people will mock us, FEAR has played a huge part in warping our conception of God.
GOD stands ready to FIGHT for you. You literally have to do nothing but stand firm and keep focused on HIM instead of your FEAR. An advancing Egyptian army, or a broken marriage, or a troubled son or daughter, or a broken relationship, or a financial hardship are all pretty frightening in their own way. They ALL, however, pale in comparison to the POWER of the GOD who is FOR YOU and WHO DELIGHTS in FIGHTING FOR YOU.
Every time we allow our FEARS to shrink our view of the unfathomable SIZE and POWER of GOD,
we allow our CIRCUMSTANCES to DEFINE our FAITH as TINY and TIMID.
FAITH is the exact opposite of FEAR, and that's why FEAR works so hard to undermine it. The larger our faith, the smaller our fear. So as we allow our FEAR to EXPAND, our FAITH begins to rapidly DIMINISH.
Exodus 14 ends with verse 31: "And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in Him and in Moses his servant."
Put your trust in the GOD who sees you as a BELOVED SON or DAUGHTER. In the GOD who is LARGER than your FEARS. In the GOD with the UNMATCHED POWER to demolish your FEARS so that you never see them again. Let your FEAR shrink and your FAITH expand.
Don't be captive to fear. Embrace the freedom in God's security.
I mean his story is a story of redemption, of fighting against the powerful on behalf of the downtrodden, of submitting to God and having a front row seat at a display of His power.
It also comes with a long time of wandering around in a dry, hot desert while leading a bunch of complaining cry-babies. To be honest, I don't know how Moses put up with his people as long as he did. And when he is denied entering the Promised Land because he hits a rock in anger, you have to wonder as a reader how he didn't get to that level of frustration earlier, amiright?
He goes up to talk with God on the top of the mountain and comes down and the gang is dancing around a golden cow, having totally forgotten and forsaken the powerful God who has delivered them from their oppressive slavery.
It's easy from the comfort of a 2016 existence to look at such behavior and mock them for their lack of faith or consistency.
When you dig beneath the snark of how stupid and weak these people were, you actually get a realistic and gritty depiction of how stupid and weak we are. Just like the Israelites, our HEARTS are often COATED in FEAR.
One of my favorite passages of scripture comes during the excitement of the Exodus. Here the Israelites have left their bondage and are on the banks of the Red Sea. A literal pillar of fire and clouds has been leading them. They've seen countless miracles and plagues demonstrating God's power. And they saw the most powerful leader of their day, the Egyptian Pharaoh, lose his resolve and let them go.
I mean dude was like a defiant teen with his tremendous refusal to accept reality and submit to a greater authority. It seemed like he would never give in. But he finally did. And then about 10 minutes later when he realized that his slaves were gone and that he and his boys might have to lift a finger and work. So, he gets all confederate on the Israelites and chases after his "property."
And of course the Israelites melt into a pile of cowardly goo when they see the advancing Egyptian army. They literally start whining that it would be better to go back and be slaves then to experience freedom with God. (Another blog post for another time but very telling on our view of "freedom" and "slavery" when it comes to our society and submission to God!) As a response, Moses gives one of the most epic statements in the entire Bible in Exodus 14:13-14:
"Moses answered the people, 'Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight or you; you need only to be still.'"
Be still. The LORD will fight for you. Stand firm.
In fact, the pillar of smoke and fire then goes between the Israelites and the Egyptians. And the Bible tells us that one on side it brought "darkness" and to the other side it brought "light" so that neither side went near it. God is darkness, confusion, and foolishness to those who don't trust Him. To those who do, however, He is a shield, a protector, a LIGHT that illuminates every aspect of life and history to make sense in a way not possible to someone not open to the things of God.
And just for kicks, God threw the mighty Egyptian army into confusion. Then Moses lifted his hands and raised his staff and God parted the Red Sea for His people to make perhaps the most dramatic exit in the history of the world. Oh, and then he made the Red Sea crash down onto the heads of the Egyptian army as they attempted to cross.
Pretty epic, right?
It's easy to mock the folly and fear of the Israelites as nothing but foolishness. And it was. However, it is a foolishness that we all share in. Whether it is the Israelites in the desert, Peter on the water, the disciples in the boat, or those of us today fretting about our family, our finances, our health, or even just whether or not people will mock us, FEAR has played a huge part in warping our conception of God.
GOD stands ready to FIGHT for you. You literally have to do nothing but stand firm and keep focused on HIM instead of your FEAR. An advancing Egyptian army, or a broken marriage, or a troubled son or daughter, or a broken relationship, or a financial hardship are all pretty frightening in their own way. They ALL, however, pale in comparison to the POWER of the GOD who is FOR YOU and WHO DELIGHTS in FIGHTING FOR YOU.
Every time we allow our FEARS to shrink our view of the unfathomable SIZE and POWER of GOD, we allow our CIRCUMSTANCES to DEFINE our FAITH as TINY and TIMID.
FAITH is the exact opposite of FEAR, and that's why FEAR works so hard to undermine it. The larger our faith, the smaller our fear. So as we allow our FEAR to EXPAND, our FAITH begins to rapidly DIMINISH.
Exodus 14 ends with verse 31: "And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the LORD displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD and put their trust in Him and in Moses his servant."
Put your trust in the GOD who sees you as a BELOVED SON or DAUGHTER. In the GOD who is LARGER than your FEARS. In the GOD with the UNMATCHED POWER to demolish your FEARS so that you never see them again. Let your FEAR shrink and your FAITH expand.
Don't be captive to fear. Embrace the freedom in God's security.
No comments:
Post a Comment