The Exodus Entries: The Journey to Completion

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Over the past few weeks, an excavation map of sorts on the book of Exodus was compiled. It was an enriching experience that revealed so much about God.

As I mined chapters 16-40, the riches and the beauty were revealed.

Topics and themes from Exodus included (but were not limited to):

Complaining in the Desert and Bread from Heaven
Water from the Rock and Victory Over the Amalekites
Israel at Mount Sinai
The Ten Commandments and God’s Presence
Offerings for the Sanctuary, the Ark of Testimony, the Table for the Showbread, & the Gold Lampstand
The Tabernacle
The Altar of Burnt Offering, the Court of the Tabernacle, & the Care of the Lampstand
The Priests and Their Garments
Aaron & His Sons Consecrated and Daily Offerings
The Altar of Incense, Ransom Money, the Bronze Laver, the Anointing Oil, and Incense
The Artisans and the Sabbath
The Golden Calf
Moses and God
New Tablets, the Covenant Renewed, and the Shining Face of Moses
Garments of the Priesthood and Completion of the Work
The Tabernacle Erected, Arranged, & Blessed and The Cloud &                                                                                                            Glory of God

Here are some of the treasured riches about the GOD who revealed Himself to His chosen people.

  • God is the LORD your God.
  • God is Jehovah Nissi (The LORD is My Banner)
  • God is greater than all the gods; He is above them all.
  • God recognizes His own and declares that their identity is found in Him.
  • I AM is the LORD and no other gods are before Him.
  • God decrees His judgments.
  • God is gracious.
  • God is loyal and steadfast.
  • God’s glory is like a consuming fire.
  • God is precise.
  • God is eternal.
  • God is a God of compassion.
  • God is omnipresent and exists in a glorious state of being.
  • God is a jealous God.
  • God imparts wisdom.
  • God has all authority.
  • God is a God of action and direction.
  • God will not be stopped from what He wants to accomplish.

Challenge: Personalize what you have learned. Come to the place of a fresh encounter with a Holy God. When you do, you will walk away changed.

These are the beautiful concepts that God would have each of us to appreciate on our own journey to completion.

Reverence 
(Demonstrate a holy fear & respect toward)		Trust 
(Firmly believe in & on)		Acknowledge 
(Accept the existence of)		Sanctify
(Set apart as holy)		Obey
(Be faithful to adhering to; this is rooted in love)
Sacrifice
(Willingness to give up or offer up)		Serve
(Perform a duty or provide a service)		Declare
(Make a proclamation or formal announcement)		Understand
(Realize and fully comprehend)		Rest/Dwell/Abide
(sabat – to stop or cease [in order to participate in solemn worship])

YOUR Assignment: Read the remaining chapters of Exodus between now and the end of May. Create your own excavation map. Write down all the things you discover about YHWH.

Credit on Who Is God To You?: Stormie O’Martian, Jake More; Photo Credit on The Tabernacle: Kyle Pope

The Power of a Declaration

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A 5-7-5 Message

What of a question?

Is there anything too hard?

Only God can do.

Morning Study: Acts 7:1-60

Emphasis: Stephen’s Declaration

Questions to Consider:

  1. Who is asking the question?
  2. Who is giving a response?
  3. What is significant about the response?
  4. Who does the declaration point to, specifically?
  5. How has Acts 7 impacted you and your understanding of God?
  6. How can the lesson in this text be used to evangelize?
  7. What does this message reveal about courage and audacity?

Takeaway Seed: Moments in life are but opportunities for boldness and proclamation.

A 5-7-5 Message begins with a focused biblical study and includes a Haiku response. Questions are presented for further consideration. A takeaway seed is included for deeper meditation, spiritual mindfulness, and personal reflection.

The Pew: An Exercise in Examining the Heart of a Disciple

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A Fictitious Truth Rendering

An invitation to come forward is made to The Visitor. She will not have to walk alone, as she had presumed. She is now committed to her course, with one step further away from…

A past that haunts her.

A loneliness that isolates her.

A brokenness that weighs her down.

A weariness that suffocates her.

A shame that taunts her.

A sickness of heart that overwhelms her.

The hand that had clutched her own mere moments before is now warmly guiding her through The Congregation.

Suddenly, drowning in a sea of people, she is enveloped by a mass of unknowns. She feels like an alien without a home. A plethora of questions bombards her mental space, causing her to doubt her decision to even be there.

Where should I sit?

Why are people staring so boldly?

Why do others appear to turn away?

Will they judge me without knowing me?

Are they curious about what brought me to this place of lost and found souls?

What should I look for when deciding to either join or not join someone on their selected pew?

Foot after foot. Breath after breath. Pew after pew. The internal questions continue to plague her consciousness.

Should I sit on the pew with the gawkers, who look but do not show themselves as being friendly?

Should I sit on the pew with the judgmental, who size me up before they even know who I am?

Should I sit on the pew with the seasoned saints, who just might have a word of wisdom to offer?

Should I sit on the pew with the skeptics, who profess a faith but have none?

Should I sit on the pew with the empathetic sympathizers, who want to try and understand but cannot fully comprehend the struggle, yet are willing to do so?

Should I sit on the pew with the ill, who are in need of a healing from a great and mighty HEALER?

Heart Check: Which pew do YOU most commonly find yourself occupying when a visitor comes to worship, and how can YOU more effectively demonstrate love for that individual?

Pulse Point: John 13:34-35

Stay connected to The Phone Tree Bible Study Group to find out what comes next in this ongoing story of fictitious truth. The next installment, The Message, is scheduled for 4/28/24.

A Bible Study Recommendation – Esther by Kelly Minter

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Overview

A beautiful queen, her courageous cousin, a foreign land, and a murderous adversary—the book of Esther has all the elements of an epic drama. The story unfolds at a time when the people of God are split between nations with an uncertain future. While the name of God may not be mentioned in the book of Esther, its pages give us a picture of a God whose hand is at work in every scene and circumstance.

In this 7-session study, Kelly Minter invites you into the daring faith modeled by Esther and her cousin Mordecai—a faith rooted in the goodness of God, lived out through ordinary circumstances, and used to change the world. Although our time looks different from Esther’s, our God is just as active and faithful today, and He has called you for such a time as this.

Features: 

  • Verse-by-verse Bible study of the book of Esther
  • Content that explores the historical context of Esther’s day
  • 7 teaching videos from Kelly Minter, approximately 25-30 minutes each, available via redemption code printed in the Bible study book
  • 7 group sessions and 6 weeks of personal Bible study

Benefits: 

  • Discover how Esther’s story inspires us to live faithfully and courageously in our own time.
  • Understand how the book of Esther fits into God’s redemptive story.
  • Be reminded that God is always at work in every place and at all times.
  • See how God uses faithful men and women working together to accomplish His redemptive purposes in the world.

Projected Publication Date: November 2024

All content in this post is associated with Lifeway. Please visit Lifeway.com to learn more about this study and other resources listed in their Lifeway Women catalog.

In order to prepare for this rich study, you can begin reading through the book of Esther here.

The Congregation: An Exercise in Examining the Heart of a Disciple

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A Fictitious Truth Rendering

The Congregation was filled to capacity. People occupied every space, no matter where The Visitor looked. Before she knew what was happening, she noticed…

Many pairs of eyes were on her.

Some people smiled her way.

A few people turned away and resumed what they were doing.

Several people seemed to sneeringly look her up and down.

A number of people appeared to be standing and scoping the area, much like her.

No one immediately came to help her.

The Visitor was shaken by what she was experiencing. She had been so desperate to find answers. She had been extremely eager to…

Hear Truth that could lead to change.

Believe that Life existed beyond what she was presently experiencing outside the walls of this place.

Learn of a Way to transform who she was into who she truly wanted to be.

Acknowledge how broken, how weary, how lost, how alone, how guilty, how hungry, and how thirsty she really was.

Admit how the darkness of her current existence needed to be extinguished by the Light that others knew.

Confess her need for a refreshing of spirit.

As she stood there in this strange and unfamiliar position, she came to realize that she had two options before her. One would lead her back to the way in which she came, and the other would lead her to a whole new way of living. With tears in her eyes and a downcast spirit, she was just about to take make a move when…

A hand reached out.

A greeting was given.

An olive branch was extended.

A person stood before her.

An encouragement was spoken.

An invitation came.

Heart Check: As a disciple of Christ and a congregant of His body – the church, which of the aforementioned has been or is YOUR action response to a stranger who comes seeking?

Pulse Point: Philippians 2:3

Stay connected to The Phone Tree Bible Study Group to find out what comes next in this ongoing story of fictitious truth. The next installment, The Pew, is scheduled for 4/12/24.

The Exodus Entries: Praise and Celebration Beyond Your “Crossings”

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This week, as I was studying and reflecting on my Exodus lessons, I was brought to the place where three very specific points kept coming up. Those points related to bondage, yokes, and entanglements. It caused me to appreciate how very much we, like the chosen people of God in the Old Testament, often get weighed down by those three things. In fact, I would dare say that we get so focused on those burdensome loads that we forget not only how to trust God as the Deliverer that He is and has always shown Himself to be, but we also forget how important it is to focus on praising and celebrating Him beyond the “crossings” in our lives.

The assignment before you this week is a special one. It will call for you to consider the places of your own bondage, your own yokes, and your own entanglements. It will necessitate a recognition of the places of “crossing” in your life. It will require you to look into self and to produce your greatest praise for the Almighty. It will also call for you to celebrate and worship Him like never before.

Reading Assignment for the Week: Exodus 12-15

Concept Study: Praise and Celebration Beyond Your “Crossings”

Key Questions to Consider (OT to NT Connect):

  1. Do you believe bondage, heavy yokes, and/or entanglements can be… Physical? Mental? Emotional? Spiritual?
  2. How were the aforementioned manifested in the children of Israel in these chapters? (Bonus Question: How are they made manifest in your own life?)
  3. A “crossing” can be represented in many ways. Ultimately, it is a place where a coming out and a going in occurs. It is also the place where something of lesser value is left behind and something of greater value is ventured towards. What were some of the most notable “crossing” moments for the children of Israel?
  4. In the songs offered up to the LORD, what can be surmised about the God of Israel? (Note: What was declared about His actions and His presentation?)

Reflection: Life can get incredibly heavy. Burdens and loads, along with chains of our own choosing or those that are unexpectedly thrust upon us, can sometimes seem suffocating, causing us to stop forward momentum. In ceasing to move, we, perhaps, get stuck, refusing to cross over into what God has for us and instead long for the familiarity of what lay behind us. We forget to remember — what God has done and who He has shown Himself to be in our lives. We forget to celebrate His accomplishments and His extraordinary saving power. We fail to praise and honor Him beyond our “crossings.” What if we dared to praise God beyond our “crossings” every time?

(Actually, what if we celebrated the LORD before the crossings, during the crossings, and beyond the crossings? Can you imagine how rewarding that experience would be?!)

The Challenge: Write a letter to yourself. In your letter, reveal some of the most significant “crossings” you’ve experienced throughout your life. Once that is done, write down how God revealed Himself in those places. Finally, write a song of praise to Him, celebrating His greatness.

Photo Credit: seventours