Weekly Recap #3 - Genesis 47 thru Exodus 15

I know I've said this every Friday so far....but....WOW!!!  

I'm so much enjoying reading the scriptures, beginning in Genesis.  Each evening, Pappy and I sit down together and read...and discuss...and enjoy spending the time together in the word of God!!!

If you didn't get a chance to begin on January 1st....it's never too late....you can begin today!!!

If you notice, I list over on the right of this post the scriptures for each day of the current week. 

So....start now....and be sure and leave me comments, or e-mail me, or post on your own blog.....how the scriptures have touched your heart!!!

So....let's get started:

~~~Jacob blessed Joseph's sons, but gave the blessing to the youngest, instead of the oldest.  This had happened in 4 consecutive generations:

Isaac over Ishmael

Jacob over Esau

Joseph over Reuben

and Ephraim over Manasseh

~~~Jacob told all his sons what would happen to each of them before he died.  When he died, the Egyptians mourned his death for 70 days because of their respect for Joseph.  This was only 2 days short of the mourning period for a pharaoh.  Joseph was 110 when he died...but, he lived to see great, great grandchildren (which was considered a blessing in Biblical days....and oh, what a blessing GRAND-children are today, too!!!)

~~~Exodus is Greek for "the way out".

The Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves and ordered the midwives to kill all Hebrew baby boys who they helped deliver....but....the midwives feared God and refused to obey the orders and let the boys live.  So....Pharaoh ordered that all Hebrew baby boys born be thrown into the Nile River.

~~~Moses was born and his mother was able to hide him for 3 months....after that, she made a little ark out of bulrushes....and put him into the river.  Pharaoh's daughter found him and claimed him as her own son.  Moses' sister asked her if she would like for her to find a nursemaid for her....so she brought his own mother to care for him.

~~~The Egyptians were very cruel to the Israelites.  When Moses was grown, he killed an Egyptian for mistreating his people and hid his body in the sand.  Later, he tried to break up a fight between two Hebrews and one asked if he would kill him as he had killed the Egyptian.  Pharaoh also found out what Moses had done so Moses escaped to Midian.  The Israelites continued to be mistreated...BUT GOD...heard their cries.

~~~An angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a burning bush.  God called Moses from the midst of the bush and told him to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground....reminds me of the lyrics to the song "On Holy Ground":

We are standing on holy ground

And I know there are angels all around

Let us praise Jesus now

We are standing in his presence

On Holy ground!

~~~God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt...but Moses asked God...
"Who am I"? 
I could totally relate to what Moses asked God:

Exodus 4:1 (NLT)

What if they won’t believe me or listen to me?

What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?”

How often do I pray to God....when I know that He's prompting me to do, or say, something....with a

"but, God...what if"? 

You know what I mean....what if they don't understand....what if they get mad at me....what if it's not really YOU speaking to me"?!?!?

~~~God gave Moses signs to show the people that he had been sent by God to lead them:

1) turned his rod into a snake

2) made his hand turn leprous

3) take water from the Nile River and pour it onto the ground and it will turn into blood

~~Moses protested about 4 things:

1) that he was unworthy

(actually...none of us are worthy...it's only God in us that makes us worthy)

2)  he had no knowledge

3)  he lacked power

4)  he couldn't speak...wasn't  good with words

~~~Moses asked God to:

SEND SOMEONE ELSE!!!!

(I think I've used that excuse myself!!!)

~~~God gave Moses his older brother, Aaron, to speak for him.  They went to Pharaoh, but he wouldn't listen.  Pharaoh only made the people work harder, making them find their own straw to make bricks out of...but, they still had to meet the same quota.  This reminded me of Pappy's job, where he is on standards, and no matter what kind of work comes thru, the employees are still expected to meet a certain quota.  Isn't it wonderful that we can relate to scriptures thru things that go on in our own lives....hey....isn't that what scripture is for?!?!?!?!

~~~Since Pharaoh wouldn't let the people go....God sent 10 plagues on the Egyptians:

1) blood - all water turned to blood and lasted for 7 days

2) frogs

3) lice

4) flies

5) livestock (all Egyptian livestock died)

6) boils

7) hail

8) locusts

9) darkness

10)  death of all Egyptian first born (children and animals)

~~~Finally....Pharaoh allowed the Israelites to leave.  They had lived in Egypt for 430 years.

~~~God led the Israelites with a pillar of cloud by day....and a pillar of fire by night.

~~~God spoke to Moses in Exodus 14:4, referring to how he would destroy Pharaoh and his army....I love how it's worded in the NLT:

"I have planned this in order to display my glory"!!!

Then...in verse 14, He says:

"The Lord will fight for you".

And...He's still doing just that for us today!!!!

~~~As God had instructed Him to do....Moses raised His staff over the sea...and it parted with walls of water standing on both sides....and the Israelites went across....on DRY ground....DRY ground, people!!!!!  Only God could perform such a miracle...which is why...He had told Moses previously...that He had planned this...for HIS GLORY!!!!  

~~~Moses raised his staff over the waters....and those huge walls of water came down on Pharaoh and his army and all his chariots....and they were all drowned!!!!

~~~After their rescue.....they all sang to God....part of their words were

"the Lord is my strength and my song"!!!

(He's the same yesterday....today....and will be tomorrow!!!)

~~~One last thought....as the Israelites moved ahead, the water where they camped was too bitter to drink....so God instructed Moses to throw a piece of wood into the bitter water and it would become sweet.

What does this remind you of?

God "threw" His One and Only Son....into a bitter world of sin....where He died on a wooden cross....to make me clean!!!

AMEN...and AMEN!!!

In His Most Precious Love....and with mine!!!