JanMary

Q4. (Exodus 18:13-27; Numbers 11:10-30) Why do you think it took Moses so long to delegate his judicial role to others? I just don't think Moses thought about it. Though he was a reluctant leader, I believe his heart's desire was to follow after God and to serve with excellence. He had been given authority as leader, and as such may have felt the entire burden rested on his shoulders as God had not led him to delegate his authority. What were the qualifications of these judges? They were to be able men chosen from all the people, God fearing men of truth who hate unjust gain (could not be bribed!) How is Moses' role similar to the role of leaders in Ephesians 4:11-12? Moses was to lead and teach the people, training them in God's ways. The leaders in Ephesians are to fully equip the saints toward the work of ministering and building up Christ's body the church. What is the importance of the anointing of the Spirit in Christian leadership? The anointing is the power of the Holy Spirit....without that, all service is done in the flesh and is of little or no avail! The Spirit alone gives life.

Q3. (Exodus 16) Why did God provide manna for the people? The manna was God's perfect food for them, His provision, to train them in dependence upon Him...so that they would recognize that He is our provider of all things. They'd been enslaved for 400 years and He was renewing and retraining their minds and hearts to a deliverer and personal God. Why did the manna finally cease? The manna was a wilderness provision...a necessity, as there was no other source of food for them. Manna was a miraculous outpouring of His love for them. It ceased when they entered the promised land and there was an abundance of food and water for growing crops. Why do you think that the people gradually began to take the manna for granted? Because, like life, it was so "daily". They didn't have to search for it. It fell right outside their door. It was the same each time...no surprise or variety, always there and on time. What provision of God are you taking for granted? After losing nearly everything a number of years ago, I pretty much take nothing for granted! Although an experience last week shed new light on this answer. The Lord has provided for me to go to a ladies gym in my neighborhood for the past 15 years. Last week I arrived, and the door was padlocked and a sign said they were out of business. I was stunned, to put it mildly! I had assumed it would always be there. I had taken it for granted, and was no longer working vigorously, nor going as frequently as I did in the beginning years. He has opened a door for me to go to another, larger, better equipped gym, also in my neighborhood. Now I am eager to go, and to work out! I'm aware that in this economy, it too could close, so I'm going to make the most of it while I can! I have good health, for which I'm also grateful, and want to do what I can to maintain my body for His service. My Father is an amazing provider....our old car keeps right on running, our clothes and shoes have not worn out (I wore an outfit on Sunday that was 34 years old...it looks like it was just purchased and received dozens of compliments! Only God could do that!) At nearly 70, I've cooked thousands and thousands of meals in my 50 year old pots and pans.....and while I'm thankful for the amazing variety and plentiful food, sometimes I wish manna would fall at my door! But on the rare occasions when I just can't face cooking another meal, In and Out burger down the street suffices! He reminds me that He is the bread...the manna...the Heavenly food that came down from Heaven to sustain me with all that I need, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. He came to me, right where I was. His mercy is new every morning. He will never leave me alone for one second! I will never take Him for granted for He is my life!

Q3. Why is animal sacrifice repulsive to modern people? Modern people are offended and sickened by blood. Many churches no longer sing about the Blood of Jesus, because "it offends" modern tastes. How much of this has to do with a city vs. a farming way of life? I think it has everything to with the way we live. Young children have no concept between the sterile packaging of the hamburger in the store or restaurant, and the animals in books or in the fields. We just don't "see" blood today (Except on T.V., but that is portrayed as "fiction", so it doesn't seem real)

Q2. (Exodus 16:7-8) Why can grumbling against a leader really be a symptom of grumbling against the Lord? Leaders have been given a "place" of authority. When one grumbles against a leader one grumbles at the One who delegated the authority. Are there any cases where this might not be true? I'm assuming we're talking about Christian leaders. This might not be true when a leader is self appointed or has called himself/herself into ministry and whose purposes are self serving, rather than being motivated to serve God. There are abusive leaders who need to be corrected or removed because they are destructive to the sheep. A local Pastor in our town is a rageaholic and has pushed, shoved, verbally and physically abused members of "his" church. He told his denomination that his congregation was "picking on him", and they kept him in place. The flock was damaged, and scattered, some so wounded they do not want to go to any church in the future. Esthetically, it's a beautiful church with curb appeal...the grounds are manicured, the building is lovely and inviting, but it's a "whited sepulcher" full of corruption. Why do leaders tend to take complaints so personally? I think if it's a "sound" leader who is following hard after God, complaints feel like ingratitude, invalidating the hard work being poured into the ministry. The complaint is directed at the leader, even though the dissatisfaction of the complainer may be directed toward God. What does it take to learn that "it's not about you." Lots of time, growth, humility, objectivity, insight into behavior, and lots of prayer.

Q2. Why is anger an appropriate response to sin? God created a perfect world and environment for his creatures. When Adam chose disobedience toward God, the perfect world was spoiled, and evil entered the lives of all who would come after him. Anger is the only acceptable response to the spoiling of all that God made that He said was "good". Sin separates us from God (until we've accepted His blood sacrifice on our behalf). Sin separates people from one another. Sin is destructive in every way. What is the difference between capricious or uncontrolled anger and anger that brings about justice? Capricious anger is just another manifestation of mankind's sin and fallen nature. It wrecks both the life of the capricious one, by causing him/her to do/say destructive things, as well as hurting the one/ones who are the recipients of the uncontrolled anger. Anger was designed to produce positive change...to move us into action for God's purposes, such as rescuing an abused child, stopping enslavement, etc. Jesus' righteous anger moved Him to cleanse the temple which was being contaminated with the worldly filth of greed and degradation....anger over sin.

Q1. How do you know that John the Baptist's statement about the Lamb of God refers to sacrifice? (John 1:29). John's statement "takes away the sin" demonstrates the concept and practice of the necessity for a perfect, spotless lamb's blood to be shed in order to appease the wrath of God toward sin and unrighteousness. How was the comprehensiveness of "sins of the world" so radical a concept? The type and shadow of Jesus sacrifice for the whole world was in the lamb's blood smeared on the doorposts before the Exodus....a picture of the blood of Jesus smeared on the Cross of Calvary, once and for everyone in the world. Until the Cross, each individual was required by the law to sacrifice a lamb for one's own sin.

Q1. (Exodus 15:24) What are the reasons that people grumble and complain? Unmet expectations, inconvenience, impatience, fatigue, fear and anxiety, illness and pain, pride ("I don't deserve this!", "If I were in charge I could do a better job!", etc), hopelessness, disappointment, distrust, feeling that you're not being heard, or are ignored or "invisible". How do fear and faith relate to grumbling? Fear and dismay can paralyze and cause one to want to give up and quit! Then the grumbling starts. Faith sees that God is Sovereign, knows what He's doing and why, and is willing to walk through the trial, difficulty, disappointment, trusting Him for a good outcome in the bigger "Picture". What symptoms of grumbling do you see in your own life? I can't think of any grumbling in recent years, but after a few years of waiting for God's promises (One was given in 1979, the other in 1988....still waiting and trusting.), I thought I knew how things were going to go, and when not only were the promises delayed, the circumstances got much worse, and I grumbled at the length of time it was taking. Sometimes I pouted and didn't want to pray. (that reminds me of our son when he was about 3 and was expressing anger and wanted us to "be sorry" about telling him no, or wait, said "Ok, then I'm not going to eat my ice cream!) When I was a child, one punishment we received was shunning and the silent treatment. It took time for me to realize that when God is silent, He's not giving me the silent treatment/ punishment. Jesus took all of the punishment for my sin/unrighteousness, on the cross. When I "got that", I realized He was teaching me to trust Him without constant reassurance! What should you do about it? The Lord showed me that I should talk to Him about it instead of doing passive aggressive things (Like not praying or reading the Word..."not eating my ice cream!") When I've brought it to Him in prayer and told Him that I was angry at Him, it felt like He smiled about my honesty, and led me to scripture that comforted me and showed me that He is constantly building my character, growing me up, maturing my faith, and wanting me to trust Him. That takes the sting out of whatever is going on that I don't like, and I have "new eyes" to see. Patience is an area He's been developing over the long years of waiting, and I don't grumble anymore....I know His timing is perfect and at the right time He will fulfill what He's promised me. Would I like it to happen now? Of course, but He knows the future, and I don't! Another area I've had to learn is to not grumble to others...nothing brings us down more quickly than whining and grumbling and complaining from disgruntled believers. It's one thing to be honest with a trusted friend who will pray than to pepper those around you with grumbling buckshot.

Q4. (Exodus 14:4, 17-18) Why is God's glory important in the Exodus? Egypt was a nation who worshipped many gods and had no idea who the One true God is. His glory sets Him apart from every god, and honors Him as Lord of all. His glory, if "seen" with spiritual eyes, leads to Salvation in an open heart. In the Exodus it was also important for that sea of humanity to know that the God of glory was leading them through Moses. They had no idea the 11 day trip would take 40 years of trial and testing and that except for Joshua and Caleb, the entire adult generation would die before entering the promised land....the wilderness and His glory was all that generation would know of Him. How is recognition of his glory important to faith? His Word declares that He is the One and only, true, holy and living Creator God. Recognizing His glory, confirms His Word, and reveals His power and might to fight on our behalf in this fallen world, and demonstrates His victory over all, just as He's promised! To holiness? His glory is His radiant light....the outshining of His holiness, and reveals His righteous and just character and majesty. To reverence? His glory reveals that He alone is God, and worthy of our praise and worship. His glory defines Him as God and lets us know that we are not! We are His creatures who bow down in His majestic presence. What happens when leaders take for themselves the credit and glory that should go only to God? We have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of His glory! ( Eph. 1:12.) He shares His glory with no one. When a leader tries to take the glory that belongs to God, there will be a" humility option" provided, as with king Nebuchadnezzar who said "Is not this the great Babylon that I have built as the royal residence and seat of power and for the HONOR and GLORY OF MY MAJESTY?" While the words were still in his mouth the voice from Heaven said "The kingdom has departed from you" and he ate grass with the the beasts of the fields for 7 years until he snapped out of his pride and God restored him. (Dan. 4:30,31) How can leaders keep themselves from pride? Humble one's self so that God doesn't have to. Be faithful in worship! Heed conviction of the Holy Spirit when pride tempts. Ask God to "pounce" when He sees pride, and yield to Him as Lord. Keep focused on the fact that success or recognition is a sign of His blessing, and is not due to the leaders "power and might"....

Q3. (Exodus 14:11-14) Why do the people blame Moses for the advancing Egyptian army? They blamed Moses because he was the only leader they could "see"....the man in charge. He was the one holding the rod of authority. What motivates their fear? They were still slaves in their minds. The army was in pursuit with orders to either capture or kill them...they were terrified. They didn't really know Moses or trust him yet, and they didn't "know" God, so like abused children they must have felt "alone, abandoned, without resources or power, unable to fend for themselves." Who are the people really blaming? They were blaming God (V10: "They were exceedingly frightened and cried out to the Lord") but they attacked Moses because Moses was God's representative and spokesman. How does Moses respond to their blame and fear? He directed their "eyes" and attention back to the Lord, and spoke God's Words of comfort and reassurance to them: "Fear not; stand still (firm, confident, undismayed) and see the salvation of the Lord which He will work for you today. For the Egyptians you have seen today you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace and remain at rest." Why doesn't Moses defend himself from their unfair criticism? I think Moses had learned well Who was in charge and wanted them to know as well that He was the reluctant leader, obeying God and God alone. How do the people respond to Moses' words? V22 says "The Israelites went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left." They obeyed Moses and followed him.

Q2. (Exodus 12:50) Why was obedience so important to the people's deliverance? I watched a documentary on sheep over the weekend and the answer to this question was crystal clear! We are dumb sheep who must have a Shepherd!The people had been enslaved for hundreds of years and were "captives" in their minds. They had never left Goshen, and had no idea where they were going nor how to take care of themselves without a slave master providing for them or directing them. God entrusted Moses and Aaron with the leadership of this "lost" sea of humanity, and they would certainly perish without being obedient to their leaders God given wisdom and guidance. Why is obedience so important to our deliverance from "sin, the flesh, and the devil"? God is the One with power over "sin, the flesh and the devil". My flesh cannot (doesn't even WANT to) deliver me from myself, let alone sin and the devil. In order to be set free, I must obey His leading, His will, and surrender to His power. I'm a sheep who needs to follow closely on my Shepherd's heels! Is there any discipleship without obedience? I don't believe so. We are saved by obeying and yielding to the Holy Spirit Who has been wooing and drawing us to Jesus. We then must follow/obey Him as our Master. He is now in charge, and He alone knows where He wants to take me on this journey toward eternal life with Him. Rebellion will make the trip much more difficult and may prevent me from fulfilling my destiny completely! Does a person who says he believes in Jesus but don't obey him have real faith? There are those who believe "IN" Him, but don't BELIEVE Him, who tag along when they feel like it, or when He's doing what they expect and want. Only He knows whether a person is truly saved. So I would say that kind of faith is minimal and not being allowed to grow, if there at all. True discipleship involves a life surrendered to His leading and authority...and that takes real faith!

Q1. (1 Corinthians 5:7; John 1:29; 1 Peter 1:18-19) In what sense is Christ our Passover Lamb? Jesus became my Passover Lamb in His perfect, sinless life which He gave up willingly as the substitution for my sin and unrighteousness. I love the term "the Great Exchange", where He took my sin and unrighteousness upon His body on the Cross, and in exchange, gave me His perfect Righteousness, forgiveness, and eternal life. In what sense are we marked with his blood? Because He dwells in me and I in Him, His blood covers me. When He died, I died with Him. When He was buried, I was buried with Him. When He rose from the grave, I rose with Him. We are forever one. In what sense does God's judgment pass over us because of Christ's blood? The blood of an innocent, spotless lamb was required to stay God's judgment in the Old Covenant. In the New and better Covenant, because I've chosen to receive the Perfect, Sinless Lamb of God and to surrender my life to Him, His sacrificial death, burial and resurrection have stayed any anger or wrath or judgment toward me. Therefore, I'm a delight and a joy to Him! What an amazingly amazing Father and God we love and serve. Thank You Lord.

Q4. Why do we tend to fight our battles "in the flesh" rather than using spiritual weapons? It took some years for me to understand this issue. I had poor teaching, was not baptized in the Holy Spirit until I'd been a Christian for a few years, and was ignorant. When I was attacked, it was by a person with "skin on", so I waged the battle in the flesh...or "skin". I had also been abused for years, so I reacted out of old wounds, rather than acting on God's Word. I got angry when I discovered that this is the enemy's strategy! To entice us to fight in the flesh, where we can't possibly be victorious, and where we end up serving his evil purposes and either get "beat up" or hurt someone else. Why do we so often mistake the human enemy for the spiritual enemy? Because it's the voice of the human "enemy" that we hear and the human face that we see. It took a revelation from the Lord for me to see that the person is not the enemy...they just have a "place" in them that Satan can use to attack me. If Satan can get us to fight and to hate and resent the human "puppet", he can get us to wallow in hatred, self pity, bitterness and victimization until we recognize that the unseen enemy is also the one waging war against our God, and God alone makes us victors in the struggle. When will God fight our battles – and when won't he? He will fight for me whenever I'm under attack by the enemy. The only time I can think of that He won't fight for me, is If I've picked a fight in the fleshly realm to hurt someone or to seek revenge or something of that nature. (I don't want to find out how that one works!) I love knowing that He's my shield and buckler, my strong tower, my hiding place and refuge, and that He's the mighty Warrior who with a breath can vanquish my enemy! There are times though when He tells me I'm to stand and do warfare in prayer, or to take authority with His Word over an attack in the spiritual realm, but it's His delegated authority through Jesus in which I'm to stand.

Q3. Why didn't Moses accept Pharaoh's compromises? God had given Moses both the "blueprint" and the "snapshot" of the promised outcome. He had learned his lesson well, to follow only God's leadership, and put his own ideas and plans to rest. I love that Moses under intense pressure stood on God's Word, and never wavered when offered compromise! That's how I want to "stand" when on the hot seat!!! In what instances should church leaders accept compromise? In what instances is it wrong for church leaders to compromise? That's an interesting question, and one I've never thought much about. Silly things in church history come to mind...the split of a church over the issue of women wearing hats! (The group who left were known by the ones who stayed, as the Mad Hatter's.) Whether the sanctuary carpet should be blue or beige...that sort of thing. I would think that any issue which does not involve the integrity of God's Word, Scriptural Doctrine, might be considered, such as times for the services, how the church functions and so on. If it's written in the Word, like Moses, the leader should "stand", and the opposition should "stand down". If the one who insists on compromise where there is not a place for one, should leave quietly, and find a church which suits, rather than stir up strife and division. Whatever the case, I Tim 2:8 admonishes us that in every place men/women should pray, without anger or quarreling or resentment or doubt, lifting up holy hands. and II Tim 2:24 gives the guidelines for how the leader should handle contentious situations. In the issue I shared yesterday regarding the church elder who was having an adulterous affair and believed it was God's will for him to leave his wife and family and move in with the young woman, it was such a comfort to see our Pastor and leaders follow the Bible in dealing with this. It was done in love, but with a steady hand. It was done swiftly! His name was removed from the church web site the night he adamantly refused to repent. It was brought out in the open and explained in that week's services, so that there was no gossip or speculation. We were admonished to pray for him and to not gossip! We've certainly grieved the loss of one who in the past was a wonderful man of God and leader, but the church has moved on. There was no compromise! I thank God for His Word which teaches and instructs us in every area pertinent to life and that He allows us some room to prayerfully consider issues of less import in the function of the church.

Q2. Why is it so difficult for some church leaders to confront people? I would say it's "fear of man". If the leader is building a kingdom rather than looking out for and tending the sheep entrusted to his care, he/she can be easily intimidated, and unwilling to confront evil, sin in the camp, factions, etc. due to insecurity. It can also be ignorance or naivete. As in Moses situation, it may be unexpected opposition, so the leader is unprepared or shocked into inertia. It takes more than Love to shepherd. It takes wisdom, discernment, and courage to confront sin and the demonic realm which is always threatening to intimidate and destroy the church. What fears in this regard does a leader face? The common ones everyone faces with the" fear of man": fear of rejection, criticism, hurting people, gossip. In addition, for a Pastor: Losing church members, tithes being withheld, being seen as unloving or as a bully or even losing their job as Pastor. How can confrontation and rebuke be a good thing? Jesus said "A little leaven leavens the whole loaf".(I Cor 5:6) If a Pastor knows that couples are living together, having children outside of marriage, and any manner of sin while active members of the church, it will seem "acceptable" and continue to spread. Correction or gentle rebuke will not only chasten but hopefully turn the known offenders from sin, while protecting those observers who may follow the bad example. I Tim.5:20. Paul said to remove the unrepentant from the church. This may be necessary for a Pastor to do, as my Pastor just did with an elder who was found to be having an adulterous relationship, and who believed it was God's will for him to leave his wife and live with this young woman. He refused to repent, and was removed from leadership and the church. It was handled in a very beautiful way, if you can say that about an ugly situation. When it had been dealt with privately with the man, it was dealt with publicly, without all of the gory details. Very teachable moment, and helpful training for the church. We're praying for the man and woman to turn from their sin. We all sin and fall short of God's glory. We all need correction along the way. A rebuke may turn a life around. When I learned that "We war not with flesh and blood but with powers and principalities", I learned that it is futile and even silly to argue and to try to "win" or be right! The demonic realm responds only to a rebuke with the Sword of the Spirit...God's Word. What happens when we refuse to confront when we should? Since we do war with powers and principalities, the demonic realm gains a stronger and stronger foothold in the church, workplace, home, etc. The one being intimidated, grows weaker and more and more fearful and impotent. Sheep unprotected will be devoured~

Q1. (Exodus 7:6-7) Why did Moses blame God for his troubles? I can so relate to Moses! I did this once too, and it was because like Moses, God had given me a wonderful promise, but which required obedience. When I obeyed, instead of a glorious fulfillment, circumstances got very ugly, and the opposite happened. I began to get criticism, anger and ridicule directed at me....and like Moses, I said, "Lord, why are You doing this to me???? I obeyed you, sacrificially even, and look how things turned out!" It was because I thought I knew how things were supposed to go, and had no idea there was a long wilderness to cross in preparation to receiving the promise! Moses was hit with opposition and hadn't expected it. God had shown him His power and told him what the outcome would be...and I suspect like me, Moses thought God would swoop in and do a quick and mighty work without obstacles. Why are Moses and Aaron so stubborn, do you think? Was it fear? Was it unbelief? Or both, perhaps? I think it was both...Moses fell back on his original fear since his own people rejected him a second time...and this was with him speaking God's words of deliverance! "Behold, I am of deficient and impeded speech; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me?" They were still thinking it was up to them to convince Pharaoh, and they knew they had no authority to confront such a powerful leader! God had to convince them first that they were going in His authority and power, before they would move forward and function in His authority alone. Why does God have to command Moses and Aaron? The unexpected opposition stopped them in their tracks. They had momentum going, and like a freight train stopped cold, it's difficult to get going again! They needed to be compelled and commanded into action and forward motion again to overcome the shock and dismay which had stopped them cold!

Q4. Why are we so afraid to obey God when he puts on our heart to do something decisive? I can only speak for me....in my early walk, it was because of low self esteem, and feeling intimidated by people, and fear of rejection. (But I obeyed and did things afraid) His healing in my life over the years has taken care of those issues. Now,I'm quick to obey, almost always. With His call to write a book, I was slow to start (Fear of failure. I'm not an author. I've never written more than term papers for school 50 years ago, and letters, therefore I have no idea how to accomplish this task.) I've kept writing for several years. This recent delay was due to what I now believe is an attack of Satan to immobilize me, and fill me with dismay and overwhelm, which I "accepted", then stopped. I work from journals, which can be monumental because there are boxes of them covering the years I'm to write about. It's difficult to relive the shock and terror of my deepest pain and loss, of suddenly losing our prosperous business, then our home, our friends, our church, our dignity....and found ourselves homeless, so it was easy to put the pen down. Then guilt set in and imagined pressure from the Lord, I became anxious and unsettled, confused. Couldn't figure out what exactly I was dealing with. (Didn't recognize this as FEAR, because it was just extreme discomfort and agitation) But God.... through just the first few questions about Moses, helped me sort it out, and put me back on track and writing again. Thank you, Lord! How are we to deal with fear when we feel it? Feel it, acknowledge that we are afraid, take it to God. Speak to it ("God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of love, of power and a sound mind."), then do it afraid! (my first year of leading a Bible study, I would have to pull over to the side of the road while driving there, afraid I was going to vomit! But I kept following Jesus and His blessing on those years was incredible!) Deliverance was a huge help for me, when the fears escalated into frequent debilitating panic attacks. The change has been dramatic, and no more panic attacks. What is the relationship of fear to courage? They are polar opposites! Fear is a God given emotion, and is good in certain situations (to alert us to danger and harm), There are 365 "Do not fear"s in the Bible. Satan uses this natural emotion to stop us from pursuing God and His purposes in our lives. (He caused me to be afraid of God in my early years!!!!) We are commanded to be "bold and courageous", by our God, who is the source of courage. We can be bold and courageous in Him, even though our knees may be shaking. Why is courage required in leaders and disciples? Satan is in an all out war against God and His people, and he uses fear to try to defeat us. Leaders are the "point people" who are given responsibility for their ministry and those they're leading. God holds leaders to a higher level of accountability, especially those who teach so they are huge targets for the enemy. Disciples must follow God, and be disciplined in staying focused to study and live out our faith to His glory. In both situations, Satan puts up resistance and obstacles, attacks of all kinds, to stop our forward progress/growth, and it takes courage to stay in the battle!

Thank you Ramon, for explaining about the reason for the reprints on my Q. 1! Your kindness helped me to feel less embarrassed! Thank you too, for your encouragement yesterday! You obeyed the Holy Spirit without knowing that the verse you sent is the basis for the book I'm writing! You are a blessing! Q3. (Exodus 4:13-14a) Why is God angry with Moses? In essence, Moses was calling God a liar! God had told Moses, I WILL BE YOUR MOUTH AND WILL TEACH YOU WHAT TO SAY.....and Moses response was, again in essence, "I don't believe you can do this...send someone else, I'M NOT UP FOR THE TASK". He totally refuted God's promise to work THROUGH him, negating God's power to perform the promise. What is Moses' basic sin? Unbelief, fear, or disobedience? I think it was all three. My heart goes out to Moses.....From my own experience it takes time to trust God, especially when there has been a difficult past. I can almost feel Moses' gut clenching in fear, (I used to live "on that street") so that he was not able to take in what God was saying to him. When I'm afraid, I can't "hear" God. Fear is suddenly "all about me" and I forget the love and power of my God, for a time. I love the Psalm that tells us to quiet ourselves as a child on his mother's breast. (We know that fear is faith in Satan, but doubt that Moses had that on his radar) So unbelief was the result. And just as the Hebrews resisted Moses' attempt to free them because they "knew him not" and therefore did not trust him, I believe Moses was resistant to "follow God" for similar reasons. Has the Lord ever been angry with you, do you think? No, never! Although I lived in that fear for many years as a Christian. It was a glorious day when He showed me in scripture that Jesus bore all of God's wrath and anger on the cross, and those who are His will never experience His anger. He disciplines and corrects me, but as a loving Father, never as a raging, or punitive parent! His wrath and anger are stored up for judging those who refuse to come to Him for the free gift of Salvation. I realized from yesterday's questions that that's why I've been stuck in writing! I had relapsed into an old fear/pattern from the years of abuse. When the writing became very difficult, it became a huge burden which I began to carry, instead of letting Him carry it. I forgot about GRACE for a few months, froze up and was unable to write! I've been coiled up and tense and didn't know why until I answered yesterday's questions about Moses response to God! He has not been angry with me for my response to fear....He's been patiently waiting for this study to begin so He could give me revelation and deliverance to set me free. I read this in a footnote in the amplified Bible this morning regarding this situation with Moses "When the Lord says "I will send thee", every provision has been made for the appointed task, "I will not fail thee". He who gives the command will also give the equipment. (John Henry Jowett, My Daily Meditation) Thank you Pastor Wilson for allowing the Holy Spirit to write these lessons through you! How did Moses appease God's anger? I didn't see a reference to Moses appeasing God's anger in the scriptures given. But it looks to me that since God is never taken by surprise, He knew Moses would react in this way and had already made a provision which would include Moses, his fearful child, but which would also give Moses support "with skin on"....his brother Aaron. This illustrates what He has shown me under grace...He is my source of all wisdom, provision, help, healing, courage, protection...my all in all. He, in grace (this was before the law was given) provided what Moses needed in order to follow Him. I am filled with praise, worship and thanks for His grace and patient training! Thank you, Jesus for demonstrating this once again to me, in the Life of Moses!

Q2. (Exodus 3:10-12) Does Moses' response to God's call reflect a low self image, true humility, or lack of faith? I believe Moses response was "shock and awe"! His desire 40 years earlier had been to deliver his people from suffering. He'd taken what he thought was an appropriate action, had run for his life, and spent 40 years tending sheep in a wilderness. I think he must have thought "I'm 80 years old, have accomplished nothing in life, my window of opportunity to make a difference is long since closed. I have no life skills except tending and leading sheep (Sounds like David's preparation!), and now you say I'm to deliver my people? All that to say, I think it was unbelief that God could use him, a failure in his own and the world's eyes. Moses must have lived in deep regret and beaten himself up for how he had bungled his own attempt at this very same venture, and had settled into a permanent life of mediocrity and obscurity as "his lot in life", or perhaps he believed that his failure and the consequence were his permanent condition. How does God reassure him? He promised to be with Moses and gave the sign/prophecy/foreknowledge of the outcome if Moses would agree to be yielded! How does God reassure us when we are called to impossible situations? I can share from my own experience that He does just that! He speaks words of encouragement that "you're not being asked to go it alone....I'm in you, with you, will go before you, and come behind you...hemmed in on all sides! He often speaks to me about the outcome of what He's asking, as further reassurance. After years of abuse and being beaten down, controlled and intimidated, I've always needed a lot of reassurance. I can so relate to Moses! I've lived in a wilderness for many years. The blessing of those years is that I know that in myself I can do nothing, but that He works in and through me to accomplish all that He asks when I yield to the Holy Spirit. The glory must go to Him because I know He's the Victor. (I'm encouraging myself as I answer these questions...I've been stuck 2/3 through with the book He's asked me to write, because it's "too hard". I will start again on this "impossible situation" because He IS FAITHFUL!

Q1. (Exodus 2:11-15a) What do we learn about Moses' motivations, character, and leadership ability from the incident of him killing the cruel Egyptian taskmaster? Moses motive was to provide justice for his people, and to relieve their suffering. In V.11 he "looked and saw their burdens." Good motive but wrong method. His attempt was more like a vigilante gunslinger who dominates with fear and power. His character was formed in a godless, idolatrous nation, whose Pharaoh ruled with an iron fist, so Moses was doing what he had learned, and in his zeal, thought he could single handedly liberate his brethren one conflict at a time. He knew he was a Hebrew, but had no relationship with his people who saw him as a privileged outsider. He had not earned their respect, and therefore could not lead them. Killing was against the law of their God, so now he was a murderer. What positive things do you see in his character? I see zeal, compassion, the desire to do the right thing and to help people. He was willing to step up and fight for what he believed was right. He had lived a privileged life and experienced the power and favor of that position, which can be a positive influence in society if used correctly and with the right motivation, but he lacked wisdom and foresight. His action can be viewed as heroic, in defending one who cannot defend oneself. What negative things do you discern? I think he was both arrogant and naive in misjudging the power he possessed. He was only bold when he thought the murder was his secret, then he fled in terror when confronted, rather than taking responsibility for his actions. (Although we know THAT was wisdom.....Pharaoh most likely would have killed him for helping the oppressed slaves who were building his kingdom!)

To err is human, but this is ridiculous! I've erased 4 reprints, but cannot eliminate the pages. This has never happened before! I'm so sorry! JanMary

I'm so embarrassed! JanMary

Here I am editing out another reprint.....does anyone know why this happened???? or how to eliminate a whole page????

I apologize profusely!!!!! I have no idea why my lesson printed so many times.......I tried to edit and leave the space blank but it just repeated.... JanMary

Q4. What does the call to the Great Banquet sound like when we extend the invitation to those around us? I'm not sure what this means... Do "I present the invitation in the urgent way it was intended?" Or "How does it sound to those who hear it?" I suppose it could mean both! The response may differ depending upon how I present it....if I "persuade" as Paul said, and share the Good News in love and the seriousness upon which each invitation rests, then Prayerfully, the hearer will receive it as such and accept His invitation. If I share out of duty or to "get the check mark in the box", the hearer may not take the offer seriously and reject the Good News. In what sense are we the servants told to "compel them to come in"? I am to share from my heart the truth of the Gospel and hopefully what "Jesus has done/ is doing in my life today". I'm always excited when I share Christ, and gratitude pours forth for all that He has brought me out of and the goodness and mercy with which He deals with me each day. I am to be prepared in season and out of season to share: I was challenged as a new believer to write out my testimony, then edit it to 3 minutes which includes briefly: my life condition before I received Christ (not a litany of every gory detail...just the "flavor"), specifically how I received Him (include pertinent Scripture so the hearer is exposed to the Word of God), and how He has changed my life. This is so that on an elevator, or talking to the grocery bagger/ checker or whomever, in a short period of time the Good News can be shared effectively. I did this and to my amazement I've led a number to Christ in those brief moments.....which means someone had planted seeds, others had watered, and when I came along, was given the privilege of "closing" the invitation. At other times, there is only opportunity to plant a seed or water seeds others have planted...and the next disciple who comes along will lead the hearer to Christ. In what sense are we those who have been called to the feast in the Kingdom of God? We (any of us who have heard and said "YES" to His invitation) are the invited ones. He has called us. He has pursued us. He has sent His Word to us. He (in the form of His Holy Spirit) sought each one to persuade us to come into His Kingdom. And because He desires that NONE should perish, while there is still time we are to invite everyone we know to come with us.

Q3. (Luke 9:57-61) Why was Jesus so harsh with those who made excuses when called to follow him? Jesus is Creator God...He made us, He loves us, He knows the future and what awaits those who receive Him and those who reject His Gift of eternal life. He was always righteously angry at self righteousness, arrogance, stubbornness and spiritual blindness...in those who professed to be spiritual awake. Why is the call so urgent? They behaved as though this was "a day and a dinner". His call/invitation was about life and death: eternity in hell (by one's own choice) versus eternal life in Heaven with Him. (also by one's own choice) Some say "Why would God send good people to hell?" This parable is the answer: He doesn't! We choose where we spend eternity! And He is urgently calling to us to choose LIFE! Why do our excuses seem so trivial when offered to Jesus? We offer excuses as though this was about a casual lunch date with no consequences. The consequence of accepting is eternal life, and of refusing is the second death with wrath and judgment in hell. With what great love He calls to His creation: "Choose life! I beg you....CHOOSE LIFE"