Wednesday, 2/4/2015

“Whoever undertakes to set himself up as a judge of Truth and Knowledge is shipwrecked by the laughter of the gods." ~ Edmund Burke

EXODUS 34-36

The Lord calls Moses to chisel out two stone tablets like the first two.  God instructs him to meet him on the mountain alone.

8Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. 9“Lord,” he said, “if I have found favor in your eyes, then let the Lord go with us. Although this is a stiff-necked people, forgive our wickedness and our sin, and take us as your inheritance.”10Then the Lord said: “I am making a covenant with you. Before all your people I will do wonders never before done in any nation in all the world. The people you live among will see how awesome is the work that I, the Lord, will do for you. 11Obey what I command you today. I will drive out before you the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 12Be careful not to make a treaty with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare among you. 13Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.^a 14Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

God then gives moses the additional instructions on living.

 27Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28Moses was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

MATTHEW 23:1-22

After the encounter of being tested, Jesus goes after the wickedness of the Sadducees and Pharisees. 

8“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11The greatest among you will be your servant. 12For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

JOURNAL

God continually shows is grace, love and unwavering purpose in seeing the Israelites through to the promised land.  He confirms again and again that they are not to worship any other God's but him.  This will come in to play over and over.  Yet seeing it here and knowing as God does that they will disobey is both humbling and gives me hope.  For God knows the wickedness of my own heart.  He knows my story and how it will end.  Yet he is always faithfully there, to correct, prune and love.

This really is the foolishness of disobedience. It reveals my true intentions and whether or not God is really my God.  Which is why Jesus comes down so harshly on the Pharisees...they know the scriptures and yet they use them to manipulate the people for selfish purposes.  This is also a warning to me and a check on my heart.  Do I use scripture to manipulate for my own selfishness?  I know that  Paul confirms that the two natures are at war in my heart.  Therefore I must realize that at any moment I can be lured into arrogance, selfishness and the wicked ways of the flesh.  It is in this reality that I must cling to God.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:25)