However, as we explore these particular chapters, we’ll find that there is a lot of truth here left unexplored. We’re going to join the Israelites about 3 months after they’ve crossed the Red Sea and end with them only a few months later. I’ve been excited to see the fresh insight that I have gained from reading and studying these passages. I hope you will join me.

Reading for Today’s Study: Exodus Chapter 19

Let’s begin by reading Exodus chapter 19.

Key Verse: Exodus 19:4-6

You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

The children of Israel have been set free from Egypt. They have seen God’s deliverance in a great and powerful way. God has set them free from slavery and delivered them by an unexplainable act of nature culminating in the death of every first born in Egypt and the parting of the Red Sea. Sweet victory! They are free from their captors and heading to a wonderful new home that God has promised. What an exciting time! God is so awesome! Looking back, we can see His plan unfold.

In the 3 months since they walked through the Red Sea on dry land, God had provided food from heaven, water from a rock, and victory in battle when they were attacked by a neighboring tribe. They were traveling through the desert to get to the land God had promised and He provided for their every need. But if we look closer, we can see trouble brewing in the minds and hearts of God’s people. In Exodus 16:3, the people said to Moses,

“If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

Have you ever felt this way? Have you ever believed that at one moment God was up to something in your life, then the next moment felt like he was gone? I have. Why is it that when we are in the middle of God’s working in our lives, we cannot see it? We look at the nation of Israel and ask, “How could they miss it?” But we also so often miss the working of God in our lives. We forget that one of God’s aims is to reveal his glory in and through us (2 Corinthians 3:18). Do we trust him enough to believe that what is happening right now in our lives can be used for his glory? Do we believe that he is ultimately in control, and that someone could one day look back on our lives and say, “Isn’t it amazing what God did?”

What prevents this from happening? Let’s take a look at what went on in the hearts of the Israelites that led to so many of their troubles.

We join the Israelites 3 months into their trek. They have entered the desert of Sinai and God has summoned Moses up the mountain. The message of God is simple. Read the key verse for today, again (Exodus 19:4-6). Look at God’s message closely. He said that they would be his treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. What an astonishing promise! He is telling this nomadic people that don’t even have a land to call their own that they will always be special to him. He, the creator of everything, believes they are special. He has a great purpose in mind for them.

So often, we see our own tendencies and behaviors mirrored in the Israelite people. You will notice that we, like the Hebrews, are quick to claim the promises of God, without claiming the conditions of God. God’s only requirement for this most special of all positions was obedience. He said only “if you will obey me fully and keep my commandments.” God’s message was, “I am the great Creator, I am the deliverer, I am the sustainer and provider of all that you are and have. Listen to me. Do as I say. Not because I desire control, but because I know what is best for my creation. Don’t touch the stove that is hot, don’t run out into the street. Avoid the temptations and pitfalls of life that bring pain and hurts. If you will just listen to me, do not turn away from me, and do what is best for you, I will make you a special and set apart people.”

What will the Israelites choose? Verse 8 gives us their answer:

The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD.

God promised and the people responded, so far so good. Next week we will explore the people’s response. For now, spend some time thinking about the questions below and your response to them.

Thought Questions:

1. Have you ever felt like God was leading you somewhere? Why or why not?
2. What could the Israelite people have done to help them when they felt like God had abandoned them (Exodus 16:3)? How can we relate that to our experience when we feel like God has led us somewhere just to leave us abandoned and alone?
3. Can you think of a time when God was working and active in your life and you couldn’t see it until you looked back? Why couldn’t you see his action at the time?
4. What can you do today to be more aware of God’s working in and around you?
5. Do you feel like God’s message to the Israelites in verses 4-6 apply to you? Why or why not?

From Mere Christianity
By CS Lewis
Let’s play name that sin! Read the paragraph below and see if you can determine what vice CS Lewis is talking about?

The Great Sin

I now come to that part of Christian morals where they differ most sharply from all other morals. There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves. I have heard people admit that they are bad-tempered, or that they cannot keep their heads about girls or drink, or even that they are cowards. I do not think I have ever heard anyone who was not a Christian accuse himself of this vice. And at the same time I have very seldom met anyone, who was not a Christian, who showed the slightest mercy to it in others. There is no fault which makes a man more unpopular, and no fault which we are more unconscious of in ourselves. And the more we have it ourselves, the more we dislike it in others. (From Mere Cristianity by C.S. Lewis)

1. What is your response to this paragraph?  Were you surprised when you found out what CS Lewis is talking about?
2. How can we recognize this vice in ourselves?
3. We are going to hear more from CS Lewis on this great vice.  What thoughts and ideas stand out to you?
4. Are you, as Lewis suggests, more likely to notice this vice in others than yourself?  Has there been a time in your life when you have been painfully aware of your own struggles in this area?
5. What do you think about CS Lewis’ recommended first step in this area?

You can read the entire chapter on The Great Sin, here.

Verses on the topic:

Proverbs 11:12

Proverbs 13:10

Proverbs 15:25

Proverbs 16:18-19

Proverbs 18:12

Proverbs 29:23

Luke 14:7-11

 In Luke 14, Jesus gives us a practical example of how to handle this vice in our lives.  Discuss his solution and how it would apply to you in your life today at home, school, church, and on the job?

Has there ever been an instrument of mankind that has caused more damage than the tongue?  Today we’re going to look at a selection of verses from Proverbs and see what they say to us about mastering the unwieldy tendancy our tongue.

Today, I hope this cross section of verses will help you see how serious this issue is and the consistency with which the book of Proverbs addresses this topic.  God takes mastering our speach very seriously, therefore so should we!

Truth and Lies

Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.

Proverbs 21:6
A fortune made by a lying tongue
is a fleeting vapor and a deadly snare

Proverbs 16:13
Kings take pleasure in honest lips;
they value a man who speaks the truth.

1. From Proverbs 6:16-19, what three detestable things in these verses are related to our tongues and/or how we speak?
2. Why do you believe lying is addressed so seriously here?
3. What does Proverbs 16:13 say will happen if you consistently speak the truth?
4. Do you struggle with telling the truth, and what can you do to improve in this area?

Holding Our Tongue

Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, sin is not absent,
but he who holds his tongue is wise.

Proverbs 11:12
A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor,
but a man of understanding holds his tongue.

Proverbs 17:28
Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent,
and discerning if he holds his tongue.

Proverbs 21:23
He who guards his mouth and his tongue
keeps himself from calamity.

Proverbs 4:24
Put away perversity from your mouth;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips.

Proverbs 15:28
The heart of the righteous weighs its answers,
but the mouth of the wicked gushes evil.

1. How should these verses impact how we speak and what we say to others?
2. Are you suprised at the number of times Proverbs references holding our tongue?
3. Is this an area of personal struggle for you? If so, why? What inner force makes you feel the desire to speak out rashly or thoughtlessly?

A Wise Tongue

Proverbs 12:18
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 15:2
The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,
but the mouth of the fool gushes folly.

Proverbs 10:14
Wise men store up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

Proverbs 20:15
Gold there is, and rubies in abundance,
but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.

1. Have you ever thought about how wisdom is linked to how and when you speak?
2. How can you move toward having the kind of wisdom spoken of here?

A Calm Tongue

Proverbs 25:15
Through patience a ruler can be persuaded,
and a gentle tongue can break a bone.

1. What kind of impact could this verse have in your family, church, and professional life if applied consistently?

Flattery and Boasting

Proverbs 28:23
He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor
than he who has a flattering tongue.

Proverbs 27:2
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;
someone else, and not your own lips.

1. What do you think Proverbs 28:23 means by rebuke? How do you apply this verse lovingly be and consistent with all of scripture?
2. How do the instructions in this verse contradict what our culture recommends?
3. Do you have a desire to praise yourself and point out your accomplishments to those around you? Why do you think Proverbs 27:2 recommends against this?

Self Study

Look at the following links to keyword lookups at Bible Gateway. There are three searches: one for the word ‘tongue’; one for the word ‘mouth’; and one for the word ’speak’. Read through the verses in Proverbs that reference our daily speach. Are there others trends that you see that were not discussed today? What topics stand out to you?

• Tongue
• Mouth
• Speak

Post a comment below about what you observed from this brief overview in Proverbs.

A 38-year-old man is lying on the ground beside pool of water. He’s been taught since childhood that if the waters of this pool stir, and he makes it in first, he will be healed. Every day of his adult life he has come to this pool to lie beside it. Every day, there is a tiny glimmer of hope that today will be the day he is restored. One day, there is a commotion by the pool. Ailing bodies groan and move and push toward the water. There are splashes and shouts. But the man’s condition is so frail that he barely shifts his weight before others have made it in the water. For another day, his hopes have been dashed and discouragement takes its place.

One day a religous teacher walks by. He looks and that man and asks, “Do you want to get well?”

John 5:6-9

When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

“Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

The day on which this took place was a Sabbath,

Imagine what was going on in the mind of this crippled man. His entire life he’d heard people talk about the pool at Bethesda. If only he could be the first in the waters when they stirred, he’d be healed. At least, that’s what everyone said. But, his condition made it impossible for him to get into the water.

The ailing man heard Jesus question and responded with his evidence. You can almost hear the frustration in his voice when he described his plight. “I have no one to help me,” was his cry. His response could have been, “Why else do you think I’m down here every day?”

When Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed, he explained everything he’d done to try and get well. But Jesus wasn’t asking for what he’d done in the past, he was asking about the man’s desire today. “Do you want to get well?”

Today, Jesus asks me that same question.

• Do you want to leave behind your selfishness?
• Do you want to give up your life and follow me?
• Are you more interested in my name than your own?
• Are you willing to trade your comfort for my purposes?
• Are you going to have difficult conversations and speak the truth even when it will hurt?

God has questions for all of us. What questions does he have for you?

How do you respond?

So often, our response is just like that of the man beside the pool. We list the evidence that we believe answers Jesus’ question. As I look at my questions I want to answer the following:

God, I’ve moved away from my hometown to a busy city to follow you. I work hard to provide for my family. I give my time serving causes that bear your name. I teach a class. I talk to people about you. Can’t you see that I really do want to follow you?

But Jesus doesn’t want my resume. He doesn’t want a list of my accomplishments or great things I’ve done. Actually, to him they are like filthy rags. He wants to know if I want to be well — today. He wants to know if I will accept HIS answer for wholeness, not my own.

Today, I want to challenge you to think of the answers that you would give to Jesus’ question, “Do you want to be well?” Once you’ve listed all of the proof that you want to be well, throw all those answers from the past away.

Answer Jesus by saying “Yes!” Commit your life to him daily. Seek Him through his Word. Talk to him in prayer. Listen and obey moment-by-moment.

Tomorrow, when he again asks if you want to be well, forget what you’ve done today and answer “yes” all over again.

Facebook.  Twitter. Blogs. Cable News. Internet News.  Talk Radio.  Internet Radio.  Music. NPR. Myspace.  Books.  Movies.  Television.

With the exception of the Bible, and a Bible study I’m currently committed to, the rest is off limits.

My goal is to remove some of the clutter from my mind.  I want to refocus on what is important.  I want to read God’s word like I’ve never seen it before.  I want to hear what He says, not what I’ve been taught.

Now that you think I’ve lost my mind, here’s the backstory . . .

The first man has a deep love of the scriptures and the God they reveal.  With power and energy, he exuberantly declared  several psalms from memory leading us all in praise.  He has traveled the world serving others and loving people of all creeds.  He is working to heal a wounded church left heartbroken in the wake of failed leadership.  He is truly a man of God.  But in the midst of all of this he asks, “Do I really believe this book?  Not — do I believe it’s inerrant?  Not — do I believe it’s accurate?  But do I really believe its true?”

He isn’t questioning the reality of God or the sufficiency of Christ, he is questioning his own heart.  Questioning his own desire to follow.  Me too.

The second talked about his love for the church, God’s body on earth.  He talked about the disillusionment he experienced as he lead a ‘thriving’ congregation and the frustration he felt when his successful church didn’t resemble the biblical accounts in Acts.  He talked about leaving the church he founded because he was so troubled by the desparity between his successful church and the Bible.   After serious introspection, he returned to the church he founded with a new commitment to follow the example we see in Acts.  He is now following Christ by loving people in radical way.

A common thread became clear.  Each man is seeking after God.  They don’t want rules or religion.  They don’t want formalities and programs.  They want to know and follow God.  And not just as individuals, but in unity and communion with other people.

I have been deeply challenged.  As I look at my own life and as I look at my relationship with others both inside and outside the church, I know things aren’t as they should be.  But what troubles me most, is that I’ve known this for some time and have done nothing.  I’ve filled my head with so much information, that I have no room left to focus seriously on the only place where the answer can be found, God’s word.  Today, I’ve decided to do something.

In Jeremiah 29:13, God says:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (emphasis mine)

Today, I am taking You at Your word. I am seeking.

Across the table was her father, completely focused on her every word.  He responded to her ideas.  He probed and prompted more discussion.   She paused and pondered after he spoke, then responded with dancing eyes and expressive hands.  Without a hesitation in her words, she propped her sneaker-clad foot on his knee.  He patted her calf in acknowledgment and continued the conversation.

I was mesmerized.  Neither of them, by themselves, would have been remarkable.  But together, they were thrilling to watch.

He never once looked at a cell phone.  He didn’t check his watch.  He didn’t have a newspaper or a magazine.  He was there.  All there.

In one moment, I saw the answer to all that ails our world.  As I eavesdropped on this family moment, I thought:

• What if every daughter had a dad who would take her to a Friday lunch?
• What if every daughter felt comfortable to dream out loud to her dad?
• What if every dad encouraged those dreams?

At home, I looked at my two bright-eyed children.  I remember the times I’ve responded to their ideas with a single word:

“Really?”

“Uh huh.”

“I see.”

“Wow.”

“That’s great.”

Do I really listen?  Do I really give my children my focused attention?  Not enough.

I remembered the anonymous man who is changing the world.  Today, I will really talk to my kids.

I was reminded again that our world is not clean.  It’s not neat.  It’s not pretty.  Children are sometimes exposed to material that is labeled ‘adult’ when it’s not even fit for grown-ups.

I cuddled a little girl’s tiny frame and listened to her sobs.  She’d seen something that she shouldn’t have.  She knew it was wrong, but the images were still in her head.   They wouldn’t go away.  And as her innocent mind tried to comprehend what she’d seen, her lip quivered.  What had entered through the window of her eyes, bounced around in her mind, and seeped down into her heart — finally leapt out in her behavior.

I wanted to pull out a huge mind eraser (maybe the memory erasing light from ‘Men in Black’) and wipe away the bad things that she never should have seen.  Instead, I held her close and prayed with her.  She said she was sorry; I asked for help. I told her that she couldn’t change what happened, but she can change how she reacts from now on.

For this precious little one, the circumstances that started the chain of events were not her fault, but now they are her problem.

I’m reminded of the children’s song, that is so profound:

Be careful little eyes what you see.

Be careful little eyes what you see.

For the father up above is looking down in love,

O, be careful little eyes what you see.

Let us never forgot that what those little eyes see can forever change how they see their world.

From Chapter 1:

Something awful has happened, something terrible. Something worse, even, than the fall of man. For in that greatest of all tragedies, we merely lost Paradise–and with it, everything that made life worth living. What has happened since is unthinkable: we’ve gotten used to it. We’re broken in to the idea that this is just the way things are. The people who walk in great darkness have adjusted their eyes.

From Chapter 3:

Christianity takes desire seriously, far more seriously than the Stoic or the mere hedonist. Christianity refuses to budge from the fact that man was made for pleasure, that his beginning and his end is paradise, and that the goal of living is to find Life. Jesus knows the dilemma of desire, and he speaks to it in nearly everything he says.
…
Christianity recognizes that we have desire gone mad within us. But id does not seek to rectify the problem by killing desire; rather, it seeks the healing of desire, just as it seeks the healing of every other part of our human being.
…
Something has gone wrong in us, very wrong indeed. So wrong that we have to be told that joy is found not in having another man’s wife, but in having our own. But the point is not the law; the point is joy. Need I say more than this: modern Christianity has brought an entire group of people to the point where they have to be told that sex is, in the words of one book, “intended for pleasure.”
…
This is the great lost truth of the Christian faith, that correction of Judaism made by Jesus and passed on to us: the goal of morality is not morality — it is ecstasy. You are intended for pleasure!

These ideas are still percolating in my brain.  I’m sure I’ll have something thoughtful to add soon!

I was sitting in a folding chair in the front yard reading a novel and enjoying the crisp, fresh evening air after a quick thunderstorm had come and gone.  Our house is provided by our church which is just a few miles from downtown Louisville.  Our current neighborhood is very different than the upper-middle class, small-town, suburban home from which we moved almost a year ago.

Here, small houses are packed together and airplanes roar overhead.  People in the neighborhood seem to fall into a few broad categories, with a few exceptions.  Some here are retirees or have deep family roots.   They have stayed here as the city grew around their family home.  Some are college students or very young families trying to get their start.  Many are working poor.  This last category is where I would place the young mother who approached me last night.

She had a dilemma.  Someone had given her a Target gift card.  She came to me and explained that it had been years since she’d been in a Target, had no way to get there, and really didn’t even know what could be bought there.  For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond.  The reality of her situation sank in as I realized that this couple doesn’t have a car, they have 4 children, and are well below the poverty line.    A Target gift card was a well-meaning gift, but entirely impractical.  The nearest Target is 6 miles from our house.  She asked if I knew anyone who could use a Target gift card.

I told her I’d be happy to pick something up for her; I’m near a Target every day.   I told her they had clothes and diapers and basic household stuff.  After a long pause, she asked me to get juice and diapers.  She would send one of the kids over with the card.  I stepped back in the house and  realized that I had enough cash in my wallet to cover the amount of the card.  I decided to trade cash for the gift card.   She was very grateful, asked if I was sure, and I explained that, “Really, it’s not a problem.”

I tell you this story not to highlight the plight of the poor in our country, even though their situation is very real.  More than that, I’m overwhelmed by the ignorance and arrogance with which us middle-class folk look at our world.  This sweet lady and I live in the same neighborhood but in two completely different worlds.  I blog, facebook, and twitter.  I have access to technology and a world of communication.  I have had difficulties, but have never lived in a season of true need.  I never question whether or not we’ll have food to eat or a car to get from home to work.  We worry about 401k’s and the stock market.  We’re concerned about what the economy will do to our lifestyle and fret over the ’sacrifices’ we have to make for the ministry.  I worry that no one will want to read what I write.  Right now, all of that worry looks like a big pile of self-absorbed BOLOGNA.

Today, I am deeply humbled by my own ignorance and assumptions.  I am heartbroken that if this mother hadn’t approached me, I wouldn’t have thought twice about her family’s ability to make use of a gift card.  I am overwhelmed by the depth of need in our world and my fear that I can’t do anything about it.  I wonder if my gadgets, gizmos and lifestyle have built a one way mirror that I can see through, but make me unapproachable from the other side.

Lord, give us eyes to see and a desire bridge the gap.  Help us to use the language of love to communicate, educate, lift up, and encourage.  Continue to break my heart until I see clearly what I need to do about it.

Finally, I’m back!  After several weeks of over-obligation, I decided to step back and just think.  Hubby and I took a few days to get away, JUST the two of us, to a quiet spot in East Tennessee where we could be free of our responsibilities for a few short days.  We did very little other than sleep late, read, talk, shop and eat.  How’s that for the perfect couples get away?

While we were away I realized a few things.  First, I have really missed writing.  It’s something I deeply enjoy and it helps me to arrange the thoughts that swarm through my brain and put them on paper, to organize them, to read them more objectively, and to consider them on a deeper level.  No matter what happens in the future, I will write, even if no one wants to read it.  For me, this is a very exciting realization; I’m turning a new page.

Second, I make too many decisions based on what I think other people’s expectations are.  I think most women do!  So, I’m really trying hard to make decisions without weighting too heavily what other people will think.  I barely have enough room in my brain for my own voice let alone these:  my family, my kids, my boss, my coworkers and our congregation.  I value the opinions of many of the people on this list.  I understand that my decisions impact them in significant ways.  But, only I can know what God is telling me.  Only I can hear his voice to me.  That should be the first place I turn, not the last.  It seems that I often ask everyone around me what they think about a situation and then ask God “Which person’s opinion is right?”  Most of the time I think his answer is “None of them!”

This quote from the great George Muller illustrates what I would like to someday say about how I’ve lived my life.

There was a day when I died, utterly died. Died to George Muller, his opinions, preferences, tastes and will — died to the world, its approval or censure — died to the approval or blame of even my brethren and friends — and since then I have studied to show myself approved only unto God.

Third, new levels of focus and self-discipline must erupt in my life to get where I believe God is leading.  I don’t know exactly everything this means yet.  Right now, it’s adjusting my schedule to make time for what God has called me to do.  I want to say that I’m adjusting my schedule to make time for what I enjoy, because it’s partially true.  Right now, what God has called me to is a task that I enjoy, but there are other things I enjoy that are going to take a back seat.

Finally on a lighter note, life is too short to be so blasted serious all the time!  A good clean belly-laugh might do me good from time to time.  My husband has taught me this lesson quite well recently.  He and the kids made up a family song about our dog, Chewy.    It was sparked by a comment I made about her incessant chewing and it will be forever imprinted into the minds of our children.  Sometimes, I hear the kids singing it out loud to themselves in their room.  Sometimes Chewy sings it herself (in a unique voice performed masterfully by my better-half).  Rolling-on-the-floor-laughing is a mild description of our response to his heartening performance.  I considered trying to sneak a video camera into this masterful family musical, but I will spare him a little bit of his dignity.

Sometimes, goofy is very good.