Draw me close to You

Exodus 6

God spoke to Moses, and said to him, “I am Yahweh; and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Yahweh I was not known to them. I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their travels, in which they lived as aliens. Moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant. Therefore tell the children of Israel, ‘I am Yahweh, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments: and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that I am Yahweh your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am Yahweh.’”

Exodus 6:2‭-‬8 WEB

Why does it say here that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob didn't know the  God by the  name Yahweh when  all through Genesis they had already been calling God Yahweh?

The 3 main theories are:

1. Since Moses wrote Genesis, he inserted the name Yahweh, like for example if when we write about Paul before his conversion, we still often call him "Paul" even though he was known as "Saul" until his first missionary journey.

2. The name "Yahweh" was known, but the meaning of "I am Who I am" was not yet known.

3. In Hebrew usage, knowing someone's "name" is a symbol of knowing someone deeply. Even today the Jews often refer to God as "HaShem" - "The Name".  So Abraham, Isaac and Jacob knew Yahweh to a certain extent, but now Moses was going to know God in a deep and personal way that his ancestors didn't know.

I don't know which theory is correct (or even if there's yet another reason) but I was thinking about #3 for applicability:

Many people know about God, and even know God to a certain extent, but what God wants for us is to grow in our intimacy with Him.

As we become more and more conformed to the image of Christ daily, we are brought into His perfection.

So I am encouraged to spend time with Him daily, to grow in intimacy with Him, to renew my mind with His precepts, as it says in Romans 12:2, "Don't be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God."

As the Don Moen song said, "Draw me close to You. Never let me go. I lay it all down again, to hear You say that I'm Your friend. Help me find the way, bring me back to You."

This morning, someone WhatsApped me this video of Don Moen singing "God will make a way" in response to the COVID19 pandemic.

Father, indeed I pray, "Draw me close to You." As I spend time daily in Your Word, renew my mind. In Jesus' name, amen.

Truth telling

Exodus 5

Afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said to Pharaoh, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”

Exodus 5:1

Were Moses and Aaron lying about going to hold a feast in the wilderness? If so, did God sanction their lie?

Or did they really plan to just go hold a feast and come back if Pharaoh had given permission? But God knowing Pharaoh's heart, could let them say to honestly, and knew Pharaoh would refuse, and thus eventually give them the opportunity to escape their slavery?

Different Christians have come to different conclusions about this kind of thing.

This is illustrated in how some Christians responded to the Nazis. When you're a Christian hiding Jews, and the Nazis come looking, do you lie? Most lied and saved the Jews. A few told the truth, and most of those and their Jews were killed. But a very few didn't lie but God saved them in some other way.

But the general principle is “let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' ” Matthew 5:37

In general, we should be a people of truth, eschewing lying.

Father, help me to stay truthful and not lie. Sometimes in the spur of the moment I'm tempted to lie, remind me of Your call to truth. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Prejudice

Matthew 21

When he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” The multitudes said, “This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.”  Jesus entered into the temple of God, and drove out all of those who sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables and the seats of those who sold the doves. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’  but you have made it a den of robbers!”

Matthew 21:10‭-‬13

Temple had an outer court, called the Court of the Gentiles, for Gentiles to come and find out about YHWH.

This is because YHWH doesn't only want the Israelites to know Him - He wants to save everyone.

However, most of the Jews of Jesus' day had totally forgotten this, and thought of YHWH only has their God. They had no interest to share the love of God with others.

Jews coming from far away needed a place to change their Roman money into Jewish money for their Temple offerings, and also they needed a place to buy sacrificial animals so that they wouldn't have to drag their lamb or other animal all the way from wherever they lived.

So the Temple authorities, having lost the missionary vision to reach out to the Gentiles,  saw this Court of the Gentiles as a "wasted" space and turned it into a marketplace for Jews to do this.

That was why Jesus was so angry with them. They had lost the vision YHWH had given to Abraham, that through the YHWH would bless the nations. They were only interested in getting other Jews closer to YHWH.

How about us? Are we only looking to reach people like us for Christ? Christ died for all people groups.  Including people who are not like us.

Do we look at people who are not like us with prejudice, thinking of them as less worthy of God's love because they are different from us? Do we spread racist ideas? Do we make remarks about how they are lazy, or dishonest, or dirty, etc.?

Father, open our eyes to our own prejudices, and help us to see everyone through Your eyes. In Jesus' name, amen.

God's mercy in the face of our unreasonable fears

Exodus 4

Moses said to Yahweh, “O Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before now, nor since you have spoken to your servant; for I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.”  Yahweh said to him, “Who made man’s mouth? Or who makes one mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Isn’t it I, Yahweh? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth, and teach you what you shall speak.”  He said, “Oh, Lord, please send someone else.”  Yahweh’s anger burned against Moses, and he said, “What about Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Also, behold, he comes out to meet you. When he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

Exodus 4:10‭-‬14

God showed Moses some amazing miracles before He told himto go back to Egypt and speak for His  people before Pharoah. Yet Moses balked, until God's anger burned against him.

Yet, God didn't just swat him away in spite of Moses' equivocation. God dealt with Moses' fear about not being eloquent and sent him Aaron.

Father, thank You for Your mercy even in the face of our unreasonable fears after having seen Your power.

Father, may I trust in Your power and love when You call me to do hard things. In Jesus' name, amen.

"For many are called, but few are chosen" in the Parable of the Workers

Matthew 20

“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me for a denarius?  Take that which is yours, and go your way. It is my desire to give to this last just as much as to you.  Isn’t it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’  So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 20:13‭-‬16

I'm very familiar with the parable of the workers in the vineyard. I have usually thought of this parable as an encouragement to people who are old, like my parents, and have not yet come to Christ.

So this parable is to reassure them that they can still come to Christ, and Christ will still give them the same reward of salvation as those of us who came to Christ while children.

However, suddenly, he ends the parable with "For many are called, but few are chosen" which is surprising because of the context.

He says "For many are called, but few are chosen" at the end of the Parable of the Wedding Guests (Matthew 22:14) as well, and in that context, it makes total sense, but in this context it seemed very odd to me.

Why did Jesus say this in this context?

I mean, it is a true statement - "Many are called, but few are chosen" - God calls everyone to come to Christ, but not everyone does. And God foreknew those who would come, so He has chosen us from the beginning of time - even though He desires for all to come to Him.

This is the great Mystery which has caused parts of Christendom to split into Calvinist and Arminian camps arguing over predestination vs free will.

But why did Jesus say that here, at the end of a parable that is asking people to come to Him no matter what their age?

I found this explanation at https://redeeminggod.com/many-are-called-but-few-are-chosen-matthew-20_16/

But the parable of the workers in the vineyard does not speak only to the equality we all share before God in the afterlife. The parable also speaks to the way we participate with God in this life.

Yes, all are on equal footing before God. And yet, inexplicably, some seem to have a greater role and purpose than others in God’s plan for this world. If the unspoken objection to the parable was “But that’s not fair!” then the unspoken objection to this statement is, “But that’s not how God works!”

God isn’t equal to all, even in His own Kingdom. Some are given greater blessings and honors than others. To this second objection, Jesus says, “Many are called, but few are chosen.”

He goes on to say:

But in God’s way of working, He often selects and chooses a few individuals for special purposes and tasks.

And what are these special purposes and tasks for which God chooses some? To serve, suffer, and die.

God’s “choosing” is not a choice to honor, position, and power, but to suffering and service. There is no teaching here about an election until eternal life of some. Instead, Jesus is teaching that God is generous to all, and while all are called to serve Him, true service to God is not an easy thing to bear, which is why most don’t want it. Yet God does choose some to serve Him in these difficult ways.

He also says that this idea in Matthew 20:16 is reinforced in the following passage where James and John jostle for position:

Though lots of people interpret Jesus’ words to mean that if someone wants to be great they must begin by serving others and then God will raise them up and make them great, this is not what Jesus is saying at all. That’s how “greatness” works in the human world. Those who are respected and revered started at the bottom and worked their way to the top. But in God’s economy, those who are great either go in the opposite direction, or simply stay at the bottom their entire lives.

He concludes:

1.  God values generosity more than fairness.
2.  Those who are chosen for “greatness” in God’s Kingdom are chosen for service, suffering, and death, which is why not all are chosen.

I'm not sure I agree fully with this guy, but what he has to say about this seems to make sense to me.

Father, You are trustworthy and You love me. I trust You to choose what Your plan is for my life. I commit to doing Your will for my life. When I stumble and fall, may I quickly repent and get back up and keep going. In Jesus' name, amen.

Rich?

Matthew 19

Jesus said to his disciples, “Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty.  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into God’s Kingdom.”

Matthew 19:23‭-‬24

I don't think of myself as rich. In the last few years I've struggled with increasing cost of living while my salary stayed stagnant.

However, the fact that I have no worries about shelter and food means that I'm richer than most people who have ever lived in the history of the world!

Famine is almost completely not a possiblity at all. It has been a possiblity for most people who have ever lived.

So God has really blessed me. I must therefore beware of this and not let my prosperity keep me from God.

Father, thank You that I never had to worry about whether I get to eat every day. May I always stay true to You. In Jesus' name, amen. 

God can use evil situations for good

Genesis 50

As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is today, to save many people alive.

Genesis 50:20

Indeed, we may must remember that "that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

So as we see things go wrong around us, whether coup or COVID19, take heart! God's still in charge!

Father, we thank you that you have the whole world in your hands, and you love us. in Jesus' name, amen.