February 2 Bible Blog

Exodus 26:26-28:43

Hey folks, I am sorry for the lack of regular Bible Blogs. What I realize I need to do is set a regular time to read and blog about the Bible. Otherwise, with all the other things to do each day, it gets pushed off until later, and then never happens – often I read, but then don’t get around to writing. The good news is that, just this little extra encouragement is keeping me reading through the Bible this year. If you have any questions about what you are reading, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Reading on in Exodus, isn’t it amazing how the Egyptians call the Israelite slaves “lazy,” when they have trouble making their quota of bricks when they have to both gather the straw and make the bricks? Ch. 5. God cares about God’s people Israel, and sends Moses and Aaron to free them.

In chapter 12, we read about the first Passover. There is so much here that will come up again in the Bible. Remember, Jesus’ Last Supper was a Passover meal. Jesus will be called the Lamb of God. It was a terrifying day for the Egyptians, but a day of liberation for the slaves.

Now begins the Israelites’ long sojourn in the desert of Sinai. God guides them and provides for them. Exodus 18 is a wonderful chapter on sharing leadership. Moses was trying to do it all himself, and it was too much for him. His father-in-law Jethro counsels Moses to recruit others to help him govern.

In chapter 19, the people arrive at Mount Sinai, a holy mountain in the wilderness, where God appears to Moses and gives him the law. In 20, God speaks the 10 commandments, starting with: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.” The basis of the 10 Commandments is God’s act to free the slaves; it is God’s choice to be their God, and call the Israelites God’s people. Then, Exodus goes into the details of God’s law for Israel. As Christians, we do not follow every detail of the Old Testament law (some of it was not meant for us or our times), but we certainly strive to obey God’s law – especially the 10 Commandments. Then, we begin to read the plan for the Tabernacle, the tent sanctuary that the people built as a mobile ‘dwelling’ for God. God was camping with God’s people, and needed a tent too!

Matthew 21:33-22:14

These are two parables that Jesus told during Jesus’ time in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The first one helps explain what was going to happen to him soon: the religious/economic/political leaders of Jerusalem were going to have him arrested and executed, because they could not accept the message from God that he proclaimed. In the second parable, the man without a wedding garment had refused the hospitality of the king, and wore his own robe, instead of accepting the wedding garment that the king provided for everyone.