Exodus 21-33: Pomegranates, craftsmanship, and when God changed his mind

- He'll be there:  Love this verse from yesterday's reading: "Every place where I cause my name to be honored in your worship, I'll be there myself and bless you" (Exodus 20:22-26). I wonder if this is why I always feel lighter and happier coming out of church? It's so simple--God is there and he blesses me.
- Intent:  I notice that God takes a person's "intent" into consideration when determining punishment for breaking the law. God is fair.
- Slurs against our leaders:  "Don't curse God and don't damn your leaders" (Exodus 22:28). It's tempting to damn leaders from the other political party. Don't.
- Get ready:  God tells the Israelites to get themselves ready for where God is taking them. Am I ready for where God is taking me? Are you?
- Pomegranate:  God designed Aaron's priestly clothing with pomegranate trim (Exodus 32:9-13). I wonder what the significance of the promegranate is? Research says: "The pomegranate, from the abundance of its seeds, was regarding in ancient times as an emblem of fruitfulness."
- Mysterious book:  What is the "book of the Covenant"? (Exodus 24:7). Apparently it's the second set of laws/codes given to Moses on Mt Sinai (the first was the 10 Commandments).
- Called & equipped:  God designed the tabernacle and everything in it, then he filled the craftsmen with the Holy Spirit so they could do the work. He gifted them with the skill, the know-how, and the expertise (Exodus 31:1-4).Please, Lord, do that for me!
- Chutzpah:  Moses pleaded with God and God changed his mind. Wow! (Exodus 32:2-4)

Verse of the day:  "I know you by name" (God speaking to Moses in Exodus 33:17)

Sharing a few thoughts from each day's reading. Feel free to jump in and share your own!

Exodus 8-20: Frog invasion, God the healer, & a kingdom of priests

Sharing a few thoughts from each day's reading. Feel free to jump in and share your own!

- Frog invasion: The plagues God sent on the Egyptians--I had forgotten there were so many, and how horrible they were. Frogs in the beds, pots and pans, and on the people? Yuck! On a trip to Cuba we had a frog in the shower. Just one frog. That was enough.
- God on guard:  I was struck by how present God was in the exodus from Egypt. I love this verse: as the Israelites left Egypt, "God kept watch all night." I love that. God keeps watch over us.
- Celebrate good times:  I was amazed by the detailed instructions on how to celebrate the Passover. I also was reminded of how much God likes celebrations. Do you celebrate often? It's a godly thing to do and commemorates important events. God instructs the people to tell their children "This is what God did for me."
- Enshrouded in darkness:  God took on the form of a pillar of clouds by day and a pillar of fire by night. He told his people that he would fight the battle for them. Then, when he was ready to part the Red Sea, the pillar of clouds moved and blocked the Egyptians from seeing what was happening. He enshrouded them in darkness, while the Israelite camp was bathed in light. I want my camp to be bathed in light. How about you?
- The Healer:  "I am God your healer." (Ex 15:26)
- God hears our complaints (Ex 16:9)
- Teambuilding:  Moses was burned out from administrating and judging, so he took some advice from his father-in-law Jethro, and built a team of people to help share the load. Jethro told him this was so "you have the strength to carry out whatever God commands you." Do you have a team of people to help you? Do you help others carry out God's will?
- You are a priest:  Israel was a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex 19:3-6). They were special and set apart. Love this. We are grafted in to the nation of Israel through Jesus, so this description applies to us, as well. Did you know you are holy, set apart, and a priest?

Genesis 44 - Exodus 7: Sobbing, righteous disobedience, & snakes

Sharing a few thoughts from each day's reading. Feel free to jump in and share your own!

Notes: If you do Twitter, Elena is tweeting on Bible Boot Camp at www.twitter.com/casmarele. Also, I'm doing Friday's reading early because I'll be gone all day tomorrow.

- Violent sobbing:  Joseph was de facto ruler of Egypt, yet he had a tender heart. When he finally identified himself to his brothers, he dismissed all of the Egyptians so they could have some privacy. But he wept so loudly that everyone heard anyway (the MSG version called it "violent sobbing.")
- Forgiveness:  I'm stunned at Joseph's authentic forgiveness for his brothers, who sold him into slavery and told his father that he'd been killed by wild animals. He kissed each one and wept over them. Could I have done this? I don't know.
- Deliverance:  God turned evildoing into deliverance and a blessing. "Don't you see, you planned evil against me," said Joseph. "But God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now--life for many people" (Exodus 50:19-21).
- Righteous Disobedience:  There is such a thing as righteous disobedience. The Hebrew midwives Shiphrah and Puah defied the Egyptian Pharoah and refused to let the Hebrew babies die (the Pharoah was trying to reduce the Hebrew population through infanticide). God blessed them.
- God cared about the Egyptians, too:  The signs and wonders, the mighty acts of judgment such as the staff turning into a snake, and the water of the Nile turning into blood, were for the Egyptians: "The Egyptians will realize that I am God when I step in and take the Israelites out of their country."