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  • Ron Thomas 7:00 am on March 18, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Moses, ,   

    Respect, Anguish, and Confusion 

         When Moses was called upon by the Lord to stand before Pharaoh to lead His people out of the land of bondage, Moses had to convince the people to hear the Lord. It is interesting in early portions of Exodus to note the struggle the people had in this regard.

    First, they bowed their head in respect and worship of the Lord when they learned what the Lord was going to do for them (Exodus 4:31). When you have become accustomed to do a certain thing you become comfortable in doing that certain thing. What is now routine is not easily disrupted without resistance; one hopes that if disruption come, that disruption is toward something better. This is the occasion with regard to the Israelites and their respect and worship toward Moses and the Lord.

    Second, they refused to hear Moses because of the anguish of spirit (Exodus 6:9). The routine was upset and the upset routine did not turn out as a result of something better, but more anguish. This can easily oppress one’s soul. Thus, when Moses told the people what the Lord would do—they did not want to hear! In fact, they were not hearing much of anything if it was going to be worse!

    Third, to add to this struggle, you will recall that Moses was a reluctant leader. It is evident that Moses had to contend with his own insecurities and anguished spirit as a result of his first experience with Egypt’s king (Exodus 5:1-11); now he must go to the people and speak to them about what the Lord was going to do that was positive for the nation. This seemed a bit much to him (Exodus 5:23).

    A couple of lessons we can learn, I think. First, let us take inventory with regard to our own routines. Routines are, by nature, habits and habits become comfortable for each of us. Routines, however, that are in the Lord’s way need to be upset—even when it causes us anguish. Second, it is very easy from the underneath (incomplete) side of knowledge to judge something harshly. The Israelites did, and we are no different in that regard. The lesson they learned, however, was that when the Lord called upon a change of circumstance (and heart), it was Him who had full knowledge and the judgment made by any and all people that was underneath that full-knowledge was out of place. Important lesson to learn, don’t you think?  RT

     

     

  • J. Randal Matheny 7:16 pm on July 20, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Moses   

    Three ways Christ is superior to Moses 

    Would you agree with this overview of Heb. 3:1-6?

    First, the builder of a house has more glory than the house. Christ is the builder and Moses is the house; therefore, Christ is superior to Moses in glory (3:3-4). Second, the son in a family is superior to a servant. Christ is the Son and Moses is a servant: therefore, Christ is superior to Moses in rank (3:5-6). Third, one over the house is superior to one in the house. Christ is over the house and Moses is in the house; therefore, Christ is superior to Moses in position (3:5-6).

    Quote is from James R. Allen, writing on Hebrews in Don Shackelford, ed., New Testament Survey (Search, AR: Resource Publications, 1987): 398.

     

    • Eugene Adkins 10:08 pm on July 20, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      I believe parts of John 5 and 2 Corinthians 3 would support that understanding along with the Hebrews reference.

      It amazes me at times to think about how little we can show about our understanding of who Jesus is fully…at least I speak for my self. One day we’ll find out. The thought also reminds of John 1:17 which is a wonderful verse in it’s context.

  • Ed Boggess 8:45 am on May 3, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Moses   

    No more dramatic tale is told than the story of the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. Movies have been made, books have been written and songs have been composed about it. For sheer drama, neither history nor fiction can surpass the tug-of-war between the two heavy-weights that took place long ago. If you had read the Goshen Gazette or the Cairo Chronicle the week before, they would have called it a mismatch. After all, here comes Pharaoh swaggering in with all the might and power of Egypt. Then, there is the underdog Moses with his rag-tag band of slaves. But shortly after, it was another story. The headlines cried in bold print – “Stunning Upset.” They forgot to include God in the equation. Moses walked with his face to the wind, paddled against the current, swam against the tide but Moses succeeded because he was decided – “he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt” (Heb 11:26) This is Just-a-Minute with Ed Boggess

     

  • Eugene Adkins 8:32 pm on March 19, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Moses,   

    The Straw that Broke Moses’ Back??? 

    Numbers chapter 20 records a lesson that most Bible students are familiar with. The heart of the lesson revolves around Moses and his emotions that got the better of him at the rock in Kadesh, along with the consequences that followed. I remembered a lot about Numbers 20, but I didn’t remember everything.

    As I sat down to reread this chapter I remembered clearly the immense pressure that this great leader was under. I remembered that the people had gathered against him again. I remembered that they were complaining about his leadership again. I remembered that their hearts were looking back on all of their “fond memories” back in Egypt again. I remembered Moses cracking…metaphorically with his anger and literally with the stick. I remembered the heart breaking consequence of Moses’ decision to hit the rock instead of speaking to it.

    One thing that I didn’t remember about Numbers 20 was how the chapter began! The chapter begins with the passing of Moses’ sister. When I read that, it caused me to stop and think. When I read that, it caused me to have more sympathy for Moses. When I read that, it caused me to wonder if the loss of Miriam had anything to do with Moses’ shorter than normal fuse at this stage in his life.

    I’m not saying that Miriam’s death is an excuse for what happened in Kadesh . I’m just saying that sometimes the pressures of life build up. I’m just saying that when the “straws” of life build up, we need to be careful that we don’t let them break what we may not be able to put back together. While we will probably never find ourselves in the same sandals as Moses when it comes to leading a nation, we can probably all relate to having “straws” that pile up in life.

    What do you think?

     

    • Stephen R. Bradd 11:27 am on March 20, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Quite possible, my friend.
      The thing that strikes me when I read Numbers is how much of a real shepherd Moses is to Israel. He’s the antithesis of a hireling, that’s for sure. My character and compassion is but a fraction of this great man’s (no wonder he was blessed with the role of deliverer and mediator).

      • Eugene Adkins 5:02 pm on March 20, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        Absolutely. I remember the first time I studied the book of Exodus in depth and before I was finished I came out with a better perspective and appreciation for Moses and his love for God as a servant, and his patience with the people of Israel as a leader.

        Thanks for sharing, Stephen.

  • Ron Thomas 5:03 am on February 27, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Moses,   

    Did Moses Do This? 

    Are preachers doing the same thing Moses did? It may not be as far removed as you might think.

    http://etsop95.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/did-moses-do-this/

     

  • Ed Boggess 9:15 am on January 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Moses,   

    A dispute about Moses’ body? 

    In the little book of Jude, verse 9, we read that there was a dispute between Lucifer and Michael. The disagreement was about the body of Moses. That is all the information provided there. What was involved in this controversy? I offer a possible solution. During the ministry of Jesus we have the unusual occasion of what we call His transfiguration (Mt 17, Mk 9, Lk 9). On the mountain top Jesus’ appearance was wondrously transformed into a shining, glorious presence. Even His clothes took on a glistening white. It must have made an incredible impression. But that is not all. Moses and Elijah suddenly appeared, talking with Jesus about His soon-to-come death. We aren’t told how the apostles knew it was Moses and Elijah. Perhaps Jesus called them by name or maybe they wore name tags. Nor does the text mention if they appeared glorious as well, but inasmuch as Peter suggested constructing a tabernacle for each, I think it is more likely than not.

    What does this have to do with Jude 9? Perhaps nothing and perhaps a great deal. First of all, it was the body of Jesus that was transfigured. His face and His clothes are specifically mentioned. Apparently the apostles were allowed a glimpse of what our bodies will be when raised in glory at the resurrection. But what about Elijah and Moses? Elijah is unique in that he never died, but was lifted up to heaven both spirit and body. This would have required a peremptory alteration of Elijah’s body. Its terrestrial state was not suitable for the heavenly spiritual world. Thus, it would seem most likely that Elijah appeared speaking to Jesus in his transformed condition. Anything else would have required that his body be reverse transfigured for this event and then returned to its former glory following. In view of the divine economy, I think Elijah was chosen precisely because he retained both spirit and body. But what of Moses? Moses died and his body was buried by the Lord (Deut 34:5). So how could Moses appear transfigured, talking with Jesus and Elijah? Transfiguration has to do with bodies! The spirit is not transfigured; the body must be transfigured. For Moses to appear on the mountain in similar likeness to Jesus and Elijah, he required his body. Might this be the occasion of the dispute between Michael and Lucifer? Lucifer perhaps brought an accusation against the Lord for raising the body of Moses before time. The power of death was Lucifer’s greatest weapon: “the wages of sin is death”. “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive”. Jesus is the first-fruits of resurrection.

     

    • Ron 9:28 am on January 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Ed, this is interessting, and, as you said, “perhaps…perhaps not.” I like your emphasis on the transfigured body, though 1 John 3:2 still applies. The case with Elijah is not unique, since Enoch was also a fortunate one – unless you have in mind only Matt 17. What you have done for me, in this thought you have expressed, is encouraged me to ponder further on it. Though I will never reach a conclusion, just the same it is interesting.

      • Stephen R. Bradd 12:46 pm on January 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply

        I concur with you brothers–very interesting. Good stuff to think on though not be dogmatic about.

    • John Henson 2:39 pm on January 26, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      This is a good study, but, who’s “Lucifer?” Only found once in the KJV, the name applies to the king of Babylon in Isa 14:12, doesn’t it?

  • John Henson 3:34 pm on December 29, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Moses   

    More Like Moses 

    When Israel decided to forsake following God, in Exodus 32, the Lord decided he’d had enough from the stiff-necked Israelites and decided to destroy them and “make a great nation from Moses.”

    Instead of standing back, Moses implored the Lord not strike down the people. He begged for mercy for them (Exodus 32:11-13).

    The statement has been made, “If God doesn’t judge America, He will need to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah!”

    Every good person knows the evil in the world and abhors it. But do we honestly think that if America isn’t destroyed, God should apologize to Sodom? By what authority does a person make a statement like that?

    None of us have been commissioned by God to bring condemnation down on anyone. Certainly we need to warn people who live in sin there will come a judgment, but we are not the ones appointed to hasten their destruction.

    Before we pray God to strike down a people or a nation because of their acceptance of sin, shouldn’t we think about Moses’ example? Shouldn’t we at least try to teach them the truth so they could be saved from sin? Isn’t this our duty?

    To say that if America is not judged (destroyed) or God should apologize is reprehensible and unworthy of repetition by a Christian. It implies that human beings should sit in the judgment seat instead of God. The statement is, in short, blasphemous.

    We need more people like Moses.

     

    • Ron 12:05 pm on December 30, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Good job, John. I wrote an article for Carolina Messenger titled: “Your Name Is Moses.” He printed it in the November issue.

    • John Henson 12:24 pm on December 30, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks, Ron.

    • Mike Riley 2:18 pm on December 30, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      You are right, John. We need to leave the judging responsibility to God and take care of the responsibility God has assigned us (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16).

  • Ron Thomas 5:33 am on October 8, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: accusation, Korah, Moses   

    Fall Also 

    What did Moses do wrong, when Korah and his associates leveled the accusations against him and Aaron as they did? Nothing in the text seems to indicate anything of substance, but when people want to level accusations, nothing of substance is needed. As far as the record is concerned, Moses had the Lord’s blessings with him in all his activities; whatever was not right, the Scriptures point this out to us. It is noteworthy that with the situation with Korah and his associates, the Lord was soon to show with whom He was pleased (Numbers 16:4). A quick lesson we can learn: when one does that which is right (because it is right), then the accusations that will fly (for they surely will fly) will be accusations that will not stick. There is no doubt that with some people those flying accusations will be believed, but with the Lord, the accusations will fall down to the ground. The ones who leveled them will fall also.

     

    • Steve 7:37 am on October 8, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Ron, your passage reflection this morning is both timely and timeless! Whether to apply it to the political season or perceived issues by some within the church, substance is the greatest equalizer of all. How often, in both arenas, do individuals try to conjole us to accept their position or comment, without any facts to support the matter? It seems with the advent of the internet in just our lifetime, accusations are being thrust at us at an alarming rate. Being led by Christ as our example and God as our father, we must be doubly certain that we do not become a party to such activity. Again, thanks for reminding us all of the importance of doing, instead of saying; the significance of saying nothing, unless it is fact based and relevant to uplifting one another, the necessity of loving first, loving always, through our deeds until we can no longer move. Preach on, brother!

      • Ron 7:10 am on October 9, 2010 Permalink | Reply

        Steve, you are very kind in your remarks.

  • Ron Thomas 6:17 am on October 5, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Moses, , sin costs, to easy   

    Is it really that easy? 

    There was (is) nothing easy about it. The children of Israel, those who complained to Moses that the people of the land were too numerous and powerful for them (Israel) to go in and take the land, thought it was easy enough to have a change of heart and do the Lord’s bidding.

    This is exactly how many people look upon the Lord’s way today. They feel that what was rejected yesterday will have no consequences today – if one just changes the mind. A young woman rolls out the tears (genuinely enough) and appeals to the one to whom she speaks to give her another chance. A young man sits all by himself, sullen, downcast, beaten, and then looks up with tears welling in his eyes asking to be forgiven and given another chance. A mother can hardly believe the egregious sin she committed with her child’s life, relegating that child’s life to being unimportant, and the list goes on and on.

    Preachers here, there, and yonder, tell each one that “It’s going to be all right.” They do so because they desire to bring the person out of the morass they are in and pick them up, giving them a new outlook, encouraging them to change not only their thinking, but their lives also.

    In one situation, this was how the Lord dealt with it. “And your children shall be shepherds in the wilderness forty years and shall suffer for your faithlessness, until the last of your dead bodies lies in the wilderness” (Numbers 14:33, ESV). The NKJV reads, “…your sons shall….bear the brunt of your infidelity…”

    The Lord is who He is, and He knows exactly the right way to handle each and every situation. We, on the other hand, don’t always know the best way, but are we encouraging men and women to think it is too easy?

    http://etsop95.wordpress.com/

     

  • Ron Thomas 7:53 am on July 27, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Moses,   

    PATTERN THEOLOGY 

    What is it that we mean by pattern? When Moses was told by the Lord to build the tabernacle in accordance with the pattern he saw on the mount (Exodus 25:40), did he have questions in his mind about the meaning of the word pattern? Evidently, some think that he should have; he should have critically reflected and asked the question, “What do we (you, Lord) mean by pattern?”

    If a question needs to be asked about what is in mind when the word pattern is used by a person, then that question (or questions) needs to be asked. If clarity is desired, there is warrant in seeking clarification. However, since the word has a common definition (“a form or model proposed for imitation”), generally the problem won’t be in the meaning of the word, but in the mind of the one asking the question or contemplating on the word. If you make a garment from a “pattern” your intentions are to make that garment after the form or model of that pattern, is it not? Surely it is. Perhaps, within the garment pattern there are “built-in” options that allow for alternative products. The pattern, however, is purchased and used in order to get a desired result, for there is no other reason to use a pattern, is there?

    When the Lord gave direction to Moses on the mountain, He wanted a “cookie cutter” pattern to be followed. To Moses, He gave no option concerning what he was to make. If, to Moses, He gave options, it was the prerogative of the “pattern maker” to give that option; that fact that He did not, however, is important to note.

    How should we use the “pattern” concept with respect to churches today? To begin, we must have a starting point, and that starting point is the New Testament. In the New Testament we can see that churches were established in various communities and those churches were made up in a certain way. Is that a pattern for us to follow? It is if the apostles set the churches up, and they did so by the authority of the Holy Spirit. If there were incidental related to the setting up of the church they are….well, incidentals. I suggest to you that spiritually discerning people can make a distinction.

    A pattern, then, is a form or a model of a desired product. In today’s environment, those who desire to pattern themselves after the New Testament will not only pattern their individual lives after the model of Jesus, but they will desire to be part of a church patterned after the model of the church in the New Testament, the Lord’s pattern.

     

  • Ron Thomas 5:35 am on July 26, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Aaron, complaining, , Moses   

    Speaking Against 

    In Numbers 11 and 12, the Scripture gives two illustrations of “speaking against.” In Numbers 11, many of the people spoke against the Lord. It seems, from their perspective, the Lord did not provide for them as He promised (Numbers 11:4-9). Moses was very aggravated by the situation and appealed to the Lord of his unworthiness of bearing the load (burden) these people placed on him (Numbers 11:10-15). The Lord addressed the problem in a way that proved “inconvenient” to the people (Numbers 11:31-34). In Numbers 12, members of Moses’ family spoke against him because of who he married. We do not know why they spoke against her only that they did. The result of this was that Moses’ sister was struck with leprosy, and only after Moses and Aaron prayed was she relieved. Here is the point: speaking against the Lord’s servant is a very unprofitable venture for those guilty of it. While there may be sympathetic ears, there is one “ear” not sympathetic at all.

     

  • Richard Mansel 6:18 pm on May 18, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Moses, ,   

    Worship and What We Like 

    Fleshly people in and out of the church use the wrong criterion for what we will do in worship. If they like it, that ought to be good enough. It occurred to me, that we have an interesting example to consider in light of this dilemma. When Moses went to Mount Sinai to receive the Law from God, the people of Israel grew restless and asked Aaron to make them a golden calf, so they could worship it (Exodus 32:1-6).

    Let me ask you a question: Which do you think was “most fun” to the people? Praying/waiting on Moses or eating, getting drunk and lustily worshiping the golden calf? That is an easy answer. Yet, God soundly condemned them for their behavior and said, “They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them” (Exodus 32:8).

    Clearly, what is most fun is not the criterion God uses. We must abide by what God commands in all things  (John 14:15, Colossians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 4:6, et al).

     

    • Mike Riley 6:21 pm on May 18, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      Richard, I heartily add my “Amen” to what you’ve stated here!

  • Ron Thomas 1:33 pm on April 29, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Moses   

    Moses, who did not want to turn from his way when the Lord called to him, now appeals to the Lord to turn away from His wrath (Exodus 32:11-14). The evolution of Moses in a relatively short time.

     

  • Mike Riley 4:48 am on February 11, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Moses,   

    How far would Moses have gone if he had taken a poll in Egypt?

    Harry S. Truman, 33rd American president (1884-1972)
     

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