Call on the Name of the Lord -- Jared Anderson

Here are the lyrics to the song.

Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
And be saved and be saved

Come to the water and be purified
Though your sin be a scarlet
He will wash it white as snow

Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
And be saved and be saved

All those who seek Him surely find
All those who know Him
Drink from the well of everlasting life

Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
Call on the name of the Lord
And be saved and be saved

Yes, everything this song speaks about it true.  Call on the Lord and he will save you.  You will be purified and will have eternal life.

Romans 10:13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

 John 6:47 “I assure you: Anyone who believes has eternal life.

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

To me, this is one of those feel good, all inclusive songs, that say anyone can come to Christ and it will be easy.  Just say his name and you are saved. What this song fails to mention is (as was written in a previous post)

Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.

2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, having this inscription: The Lord knows those who are His, and Everyone who names the name of the Lord must turn away from unrighteousness.

Yes, calling on the name of the Lord will save you, but you must also do the will of God and turn away from unrighteousness and sin.  I know that no person will ever completely turn away from sin in this life, but it is what we are striving to do in our sanctification.  No, your works will not save you.  If you are saved, then you will want to do the good works, which are the will of God.

The song  fails to mention that we must be in the Father's will and turn from those scarlet sins and remain white as snow, as best we can.  It is not easy to be a Christian.  Simply saying, "Lord, Lord" and doing nothing to further the kingdom of our Lord is not going to get you into heaven.  You must give up sin.  You must endure persecution. (Granted I have never felt true persecution like our sister and brothers in other countries, but if it were to happen here, we would have to endure).

Overall, while this song is not unbiblical, it does seems to portray an easy Christianity where all you have to do is "call on the name of the Lord" to be able to experience the richness and joy of being a child of God.  To me, the song is shallow and does not go deep into scripture.  For someone who, as Hebrew says, still needs milk, this song would work well, but if you are now eating solid food, you need songs which have a bit of meat to them.

Exodus 20:15 -- Do Not Steal

Well, it has been nearly 2 months since I have made a post on here.  I must admit I have not been doing my daily reading as I should.  Not to make excuses, because there were no good reasons why I have not been, but I did find out I was pregnant, had bad morning sickness, and then 2 weeks later found out that we lost the baby. We spent the next two weeks dealing with the miscarriage.  When that was over,all three of us got sick!  I guess when it rains it pours...  Also during this same time, my daughter gave up her morning nap, which is when I normally typed the blog and did my reading.  I am still trying to find a new normal.

Anywho, on with the bible study.

Exodus 20:15  Do not steal.

This seems pretty self explanatory.  Do not take something that does not belong to you.

Exodus 22:1 “When a man steals an ox or a sheep and butchers it or sells it, he must repay five cattle for the ox or four sheep for the sheep. 2 If a thief is caught in the act of breaking in, and he is beaten to death, no one is guilty of bloodshed. 3 But if this happens after sunrise, there is guilt of bloodshed. A thief must make full restitution. If he is unable, he is to be sold because of his theft. 4 If what was stolen—whether ox, donkey, or sheep—is actually found alive in his possession, he must repay double.

Exodus is clear about the punishment for a thief.  He must repay MORE than he took to repay the person he stole from.  If the thief cannot repay, he must be sold to cover the costs to the owner.

Proverbs 30:8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me.
Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.
9 Otherwise, I might have too much
and deny You, saying, “Who is the Lord?”
or I might have nothing and steal,
profaning the name of my God.

Here we see that stealing is the same as profaning the name of God.  When we steal, we are looking at God and saying, "I do not trust that you will provide my needs."  or we are saying, "God, I am not satisfied with what you gave me."

Let us look at one thief in the Bible

John 12:1 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, the one Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 So they gave a dinner for Him there; Martha was serving them, and Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of fragrant oil—pure and expensive nard—anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped His feet with her hair. So the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil.
4 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray Him), said, 5 “Why wasn’t this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it.
7 Jesus answered, “Leave her alone; she has kept it for the day of My burial. 8 For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”

 Judas, who the Bible calls a thief, was put in charge of the money bags.  He was so greedy for worldly wealth  that he betrayed Jesus, the one whose eternal reward is FAR more than any earthly money, for just 30 pieces of silver.  Judas's punishment was a death on a tree, hung and left to rot.

There is another thief in the Bible who repented of his thievery and is now rejoicing with Christ.

Luke 19:2 There was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. 3 He was trying to see who Jesus was, but he was not able because of the crowd, since he was a short man. 4 So running ahead, he climbed up a sycamore tree to see Jesus, since He was about to pass that way. 5 When Jesus came to the place, He looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down because today I must stay at your house.”
6 So he quickly came down and welcomed Him joyfully. 7 All who saw it began to complain,“He’s gone to lodge with a sinful man!”
8 But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, I’ll give half of my possessions to the poor, Lord! And if I have extorted anything from anyone, I’ll pay back four times as much!”
9 “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him, “because he too is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

As a tax collector, Zacchaeus took more than he should have from the people to make himself rich.  When we met Christ, he turned from that lifestyle and all those he cheated, he was willing to repay 4 times what he took.  As a result, we know that Zacchaeus will be one in heaven rejoicing with all the saints.

Judas and Zacchaeus both stole for earthly gain.  Judas saw earthly wealth as greater than the eternal whereas Zacchaeus recognized the far greater wealth of what Christ offers those who repent from their sinful ways.

Exodus 20:8-11 -- Rest on the Sabbath

Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. 11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.

This commandment is telling us to rest on the Sabbath day.  We have 6 days in which to do our work and the seventh day should be made holy and set aside for rest.  The Lord set this example when he created the earth in 6 days and rested on the seventh day.

We know for the Jew, the Sabbath rest was taken very seriously.  Anyone who worked on the Sabbath was punished.  Christ, himself worked on the Sabbath in healing those from illnesses.

Luke 13:10 As He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, 11 a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for over 18 years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, He called out to her, “Woman, you are free of your disability.” 13 Then He laid His hands on her, and instantly she was restored and began to glorify God.
14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, responded by telling the crowd, “There are six days when work should be done; therefore come on those days and be healed and not on the Sabbath day.”
15 But the Lord answered him and said, “Hypocrites! Doesn’t each one of you untie his ox or donkey from the feeding trough on the Sabbath and lead it to water? 16 Satan has bound this woman, a daughter of Abraham, for 18 years—shouldn’t she be untied from this bondage on the Sabbath day?”
17 When He had said these things, all His adversaries were humiliated, but the whole crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things He was doing.

Here, the leaders of the synagogue, accused Jesus of breaking the Sabbath.  He responded that the what he did was not a breaking of the Sabbath but a releasing from the bonds of Satan for this woman.

Matthew 12:9 Moving on from there, He entered their synagogue. 10 There He saw a man who had a paralyzed hand. And in order to accuse Him they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”
11 But He said to them, “What man among you, if he had a sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, wouldn’t take hold of it and lift it out? 12 A man is worth far more than a sheep, so it is lawful to do what is good on the Sabbath.”

Here is another passage telling of how Jesus healed on the Sabbath.  Again the leaders of the synagogue were trying to trap Jesus so they could get rid of him.  Jesus put them in their place again and said it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.

John 5:9 Instantly the man got well, picked up his mat, and started to walk.
Now that day was the Sabbath, 10 so the Jews said to the man who had been healed, “This is the Sabbath! It’s illegal for you to pick up your mat.”
11 He replied, “The man who made me well told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’”

Jesus again healed on the Sabbath.  The man who was healed did work on the Sabbath and was attacked by the other Jews for doing so.  He replied he did what Jesus had instructed him to do, with out question.  Jesus did not care it was the Sabbath and one should not pick up a mat.  Jesus was concerned more for the glory of His and His Father's name than for being legalistic about the Sabbath.

It seems for the Jews, the Sabbath rules were being followed so very strictly, they failed to see the true reason for the Sabbath.  A day for the Lord.  They may have visited the synagogue, said a prayer, rested the whole day, but failed to recognize the reason for why they had a Sabbath rest.  This is no different than the countless number of "Christians" who go  to church on Sunday, go through the right motions, then go about their daily lives without even realizing the significance of why they should be at church or singing praises to God in the first place.  It is what they have always known.  It is what their parents taught them, but there is no real conviction.  Just a habit they go through each week.  I pray that all professing Christians could understand the significance of the Sabbath and why we celebrate the Lord and rest from our toils.

I have written on the Sabbath Rest once before.  You can read that post here: A Sabbath Rest.

Exodus 16 -- Manna from God

Exodus 16:1 The entire Israelite community departed from Elim and came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had left the land of Egypt. 2 The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat and ate all the bread we wanted. Instead, you brought us into this wilderness to make this whole assembly die of hunger!”

First they were thirsty.  Now they are hungry.  Didn't the Lord provide them with plenty of water when they were thirsty?  Now they wish they had died in Egypt instead of being hungry in the dessert.  

Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. This way I will test them to see whether or not they will follow My instructions. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on other days.”

God says he will provide food for the people, just like he provided water.  He has instructed that each person gather enough for what they will eat in one day, except the sixth day.  On the sixth day, they gather enough for two days, since the seventh day is a day of rest.

Exodus 16:6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites: “This evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt; 7 in the morning you will see the Lord’s glory because He has heard your complaints about Him. For who are we that you complain about us?” 8 Moses continued, “The Lord will give you meat to eat this evening and more than enough bread in the morning, for He has heard the complaints that you are raising against Him. Who are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the Lord.”

The people grumbled against Moses and Aaron, but they were really angry with God.  Why are they suffering in the dessert?  God should have just killed them in Egypt with the Egyptians.  Moses says God will show them his power by providing food for them everyday.  A physical food to satisfy their physical hunger.  God has also provided us with food as well.  Here in the US, we have the bible and access to many resources for our spiritual hunger.  We can have our spiritual hunger satisfied if we go and take it, just like the Israelites can have their physical hunger satisfied is they just collect the food provided.

Exodus 16:9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for He has heard your complaints.’” 10 As Aaron was speaking to the entire Israelite community, they turned toward the wilderness, and there in a cloud the Lord’s glory appeared.
11 The Lord spoke to Moses, 12 “I have heard the complaints of the Israelites. Tell them: At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will eat bread until you are full. Then you will know that I am Yahweh your God.”
13 So at evening quail came and covered the camp. In the morning there was a layer of dew all around the camp. 14 When the layer of dew evaporated, there were fine flakes on the desert surface, as fine as frost on the ground. 15a When the Israelites saw it, they asked one another, “What is it?” because they didn’t know what it was.

What is it?  Manna.  Manna is the Hebrew for "what is it?"  That is why it is called manna today.  

Exodus 16:15b Moses told them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather as much of it as each person needs to eat. You may take two quarts per individual, according to the number of people each of you has in his tent.’”

There was a limit on what they could have.  The people could not be greedy.  That is a sin.  The people had to be fair.  They only could take what they needed... NEEDED... to eat to be full.  Not over full.  Not stuffed.  But satisfied.  Each person was allowed 2 quarts.  Just enough to be full.  It was a test, as we read earlier, to see if the people could obey the Lord.

Exodus 16:17 So the Israelites did this. Some gathered a lot, some a little. 18 When they measured it by quarts, the person who gathered a lot had no surplus, and the person who gathered a little had no shortage. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat. 19 Moses said to them, “No one is to let any of it remain until morning.” 20 But they didn’t listen to Moses; some people left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and smelled. Therefore Moses was angry with them.

Some of the people did not listen.  They did not trust that the Lord would provide for them everyday as he promised.  They saved some to eat for later, so they would not starve. In their minds, they did not want to risk being hungry later.  So they saved some of what they gathered to eat the next time they needed food instead of trusting in God's provision.  This just hit me.  Not trusting in God's provision.  I know I am guilty of that.  Thinking that building a savings fund will somehow keep us financially stable or stocking up on food can help us save in the long run.  I can become too focused on trying to be monetarily comfortable, but I need to trust that the Lord will provide all we need.  If we need anything, the Lord will provide.  It may not be what we want, when we want and how much we want, but he will provide.

Exodus 16:21 They gathered it every morning. Each gathered as much as he needed to eat, but when the sun grew hot, it melted. 22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much food, four quarts apiece, and all the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses.23 He told them, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Tomorrow is a day of complete rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord. Bake what you want to bake, and boil what you want to boil, and set aside everything left over to be kept until morning.’”
24 So they set it aside until morning as Moses commanded, and it didn’t smell or have any maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a Sabbath to the Lord. Today you won’t find any in the field. 26 For six days you may gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will be none.”

So, just as the Lord rested on the seventh days of created, he also rested on the seventh day of each week the people were in the wilderness.  He did not provide food on the seventh day, but instead he provided enough for two days on the sixth.

Exodus 16:27 Yet on the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they did not find any.28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep My commands and instructions? 29 Understand that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; therefore on the sixth day He will give you two days’ worth of bread. Each of you stay where you are; no one is to leave his place on the seventh day.”

Some people still did not rest.  They tried to go gather even when told there would be nothing to get.

Exodus 16:30 So the people rested on the seventh day.
31 The house of Israel named the substance manna. It resembled coriander seed, was white, and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Two quarts of it are to be preserved throughout your generations, so that they may see the bread I fed you in the wilderness when I brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
33 Moses told Aaron, “Take a container and put two quarts of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be preserved throughout your generations.” 34 As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron placed it before the testimony to be preserved.

So two quarts of manna were preserved for all generations.  I wonder where it was put?  It was placed before the testimony to be preserved.  A commentary I read said it was placed in the ark after it was built.  And we know that has disappeared.

Exodus 16:35 The Israelites ate manna for 40 years, until they came to an inhabited land. They ate manna until they reached the border of the land of Canaan. 36 (Two quarts are a tenth of an ephah.)

The Lord was faithful to provide for the Israelites each day what they needed to eat.  He is also faithful to us to provide what we need as well.

Deuteronomy 8:2 Remember that the Lord your God led you on the entire journey these 40 years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. 3 He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then He gave you manna to eat, which you and your fathers had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out, and your feet did not swell these 40 years.

Yes.  We do not live on bread alone but EVERY word that comes from God.

John 6:30 “What sign then are You going to do so we may see and believe You?” they asked. “What are You going to perform? 31 Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, just as it is written: He gave them bread from heaven to eat.”
32 Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Moses didn’t give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the real bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is the One who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”
34 Then they said, “Sir, give us this bread always!”
35 “I am the bread of life,” Jesus told them. “No one who comes to Me will ever be hungry,and no one who believes in Me will ever be thirsty again.

Christ is out manna today.  He is our bread of life that will sustain us through this life until we reach our promise land of the New Jerusalem.   Once we reach our promised land, we will never go hungry for our Lord.  He will always be there!

Exodus 10:21-29 -- Darkness Descends

Exodus 10:21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, and there will be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt.”

I wonder what it means, "a darkness that can be felt."

Exodus 10:22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days. 23 One person could not see another, and for three days they did not move from where they were. Yet all the Israelites had light where they lived.
24 Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship Yahweh. Even your families may go with you; only your flocks and herds must stay behind.”

Again, Pharaoh trying to compromise.  Now you can go where ever, take your families, but your animals must stay.  Again a ploy at trying to be certain that the Israelites would return after worship.

Exodus 10:25 Moses responded, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings to prepare for Yahweh our God. 26 Even our livestock must go with us; not a hoof will be left behind because we will take some of them to worship Yahweh our God. We will not know what we will use to worship Yahweh until we get there.”
27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to him, “Leave me! Make sure you never see my face again, for on the day you see my face, you will die.”
29 “As you have said,” Moses replied, “I will never see your face again.”

Now Pharaoh has condemned Moses if he ever sees him again.  

We see some very interesting parallels in this story and with that of Christ's death.  Here in Exodus, darkness descends on the land for 3 days, it was so bad the people could not see.  We know that following this darkness, the first born of the Egyptians would all die.

Matthew 27:45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the whole land.

Here in Matthew, we see that darkness covered all the land for 3 hours.  Here is a repetition of three.  For the Egyptians, it was 3 days, for Israel it was 3 hours.  Each darkness was followed by death, For Egypt, the death of all their first borns. For Israel, it was the death of their Messiah, the first born of God.  One died in judgment of God the other in sacrifice.

This passage also shows us some Biblical truths.  Notice the passage says "So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness throughout the land of Egypt for three days. One person could not see another, and for three days they did not move from where they were. Yet all the Israelites had light where they lived."

Even in the beginning, before there was sin in the world, God separated what was good from what was evil.

Genesis 1:4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness.

Just like in Genesis, God separated those who were evil from those who were righteous.  The Egyptians were covered in total darkness because their hearts were hard and they would not let the Israelites go with all they had to worship their God.  Likewise, the Israelites were seen as righteous and their land was filled with light.

In the end, God will continue to separate the light from the dark.  We are given this warning from Him:

Luke 11:33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in the cellar or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in may see its light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of the body. When your eye is good, your whole body is also full of light. But when it is bad, your body is also full of darkness. 35 Take care then, that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If, therefore, your whole body is full of light, with no part of it in darkness, it will be entirely illuminated, as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

We are not only to be filled with light and not darkness, but we are to let the light shine for all to see.  We are not to hide our faith, but share it.  In the end, if we are filled with light, we will be with our heavenly father for all eternity.  If we are filled with darkness, we will be separated from Him for all eternity.

John 12:35 Jesus answered, “The light will be with you only a little longer. Walk while you have the light so that darkness doesn’t overtake you. The one who walks in darkness doesn’t know where he’s going. 36 While you have the light, believe in the light so that you may become sons of light.” Jesus said this, then went away and hid from them.

Jesus is our light.  We must be filled with Him.  We must radiate Him.  We must show Him to all the world so the world can too shine His light.  

Exodus 4:19-31 -- Moses Goes to Egypt

Well, it seems I had an off month in June, with only posting 7 post.  Well, I'll try to do better in July!  I have no vacations planned... so hopefully, I can get back into my routine.

Exodus 4:19 Now in Midian the Lord told Moses, “Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. And Moses took God’s staff in his hand.
21 The Lord instructed Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, make sure you do all the wonders before Pharaoh that I have put within your power. But I will harden his heart so that he won’t let the people go. 22 Then you will say to Pharaoh: This is what Yahweh says: Israel is My firstborn son. 23 I told you: Let My son go so that he may worship Me, but you refused to let him go. Now I will kill your firstborn son!”

Here scripture says that Israel is God's first born son, but scripture also says Jesus is God's only son (John 3:16).  In this passage, Moses is instructed to let Pharaoh know just how precious and dear to God the people of Israel are.  God is also portraying through Moses the severity of the actions he is willing to do if Pharaoh does not release the Israelites.  The people of Israel are to me as you own first born son is to you.  Yes, Jesus is God's only son, but here God is expressing his love for the Israelites in equating them to his true son.  It can also seem to foreshadow our own relationships to God.  We are his adopted children through the blood of Christ.  God loves his adopted children just as much as his son, Christ.

Exodus 4:24 On the trip, at an overnight campsite, it happened that the Lord confronted him and sought to put him to death. 25 So Zipporah took a flint, cut off her son’s foreskin, and threw it at Moses’ feet. Then she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood to me!” 26 So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood,” referring to the circumcision.

I read a few commentaries to figure out what was going on here.  I was a little stumped.  I get the fact that Zipporah circumcised their son, but I really did not understand verse 24.  So, according to the commentaries, Moses had not circumcised his son.  This was a big deal.  We learned earlier, in Genesis, that the Lord had commanded all of his people (males only) to be circumcised on their eighth day of life as a sign of the covenant between Israel and God.  Those who did not circumcise their children would be cut off from the people of Israel.  If Moses did not circumcise his sons, then he would be cut off (killed) from Israel.  He would no longer be worthy to be their savior from Egypt and the Lord would have found another.

Exodus 4:27 Now the Lord had said to Aaron, “Go and meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Moses told Aaron everything the Lord had sent him to say, and about all the signs He had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the Israelites. 30 Aaron repeated everything the Lord had said to Moses and performed the signs before the people. 31 The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

Here, the people of Israel are rejoicing because they know God has heard their grumbling and prayers.  They did not say "Why did it take this long for God to finally free us?"  They worshiped.  They acknowledged the power of God in their midst and worshiped Him.  We know that later on, they would complain about what God was doing, but for now, they are rejoicing and happy at what God is about to do for them.

Genesis 46 - Israel Goes into Egypt

Genesis 46:1 Israel set out with all that he had and came to Beer-sheba, and he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 That night God spoke to Israel in a vision: “Jacob, Jacob!” He said.
And Jacob replied, “Here I am.”
3 God said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back. Joseph will put his hands on your eyes.”

The Lord blesses Israel in going into Egypt.  Telling him it was ok and he would still fulfill the promise to Israel in Egypt.  Israel will still become a great nation.  They did not have to be in the promised land for that. The Lord promised to bring them back to the promised land.

Genesis 46:5 Jacob left Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel took their father Jacob in the wagons Pharaoh had sent to carry him, along with their children and their wives. 6 They also took their cattle and possessions they had acquired in the land of Canaan. Then Jacob and all his children went with him to Egypt. 7 His sons and grandsons, his daughters and granddaughters, indeed all his offspring, he brought with him to Egypt.
8 These are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt:
Jacob’s firstborn: Reuben.
9 Reuben’s sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 Simeon’s sons: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 Levi’s sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 Judah’s sons: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
Perez’s sons: Hezron and Hamul.
13 Issachar’s sons: Tola, Puvah, Jashub, and Shimron.
14 Zebulun’s sons: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These were Leah’s sons born to Jacob in Paddan-aram, as well as his daughter Dinah. The total number of persons: 33.
16 Gad’s sons: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 Asher’s sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.
Beriah’s sons were Heber and Malchiel.
18 These were the sons of Zilpah—whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah—that she bore to Jacob: 16 persons.
19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin.
20 Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt. They were born to him by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, a priest at On.
21 Benjamin’s sons: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22 These were Rachel’s sons who were born to Jacob: 14 persons.
23 Dan’s son: Hushim.
24 Naphtali’s sons: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel. She bore to Jacob: seven persons.
26 The total number of persons belonging to Jacob—his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob’s sons—who came to Egypt: 66.
27 And Joseph’s sons who were born to him in Egypt: two persons.
All those of Jacob’s household who had come to Egypt: 70 persons.

It mentions that all of Israel's daughters and granddaughters went as well.  This passage on mentions one daughter, Dinah and one granddaughter, Serah.  I wonder if that was it or if there were others not mentioned?  

Genesis 46:28 Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to prepare for his arrival at Goshen. When they came to the land of Goshen,

Well, again I wonder if this is some sort of foreshadowing.  I may be reading too much into this, but let me tell you with I thought of:  Judah is the ancestor of Jesus.  Here, Judah was sent ahead of Israel to prepare for his arrival.

John 14:2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if not, I would have told you. I am going away to prepare a place for you.

Jesus went ahead of us to heaven to prepare a place for us, Christians.  Like I said, I may be reading too much into this, but it makes sense in my head!

Genesis 46:29 Joseph hitched the horses to his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. Joseph presented himself to him, threw his arms around him, and wept for a long time.
30 Then Israel said to Joseph, “At last I can die, now that I have seen your face and know you are still alive!”
31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and inform Pharaoh, telling him: My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds; they also raise livestock. They have brought their sheep and cattle and all that they have. 33 When Pharaoh addresses you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you are to say, ‘Your servants, both we and our fathers, have raised livestock from our youth until now.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the land of Goshen, since all shepherds are abhorrent to Egyptians.”

Shepherds and Hebrews are abhorrent to Egyptians.  I guess Israel is doubly abhorrent to the Egyptians.  God intervened in Joseph's life so one Egyptian would overlook his Hebrew birth and raise him up to the most powerful person in all of Egypt besides Pharaoh.  God is in control of all that happens.  He can take bad events and make the outcome suit his purposes.  He can take our mistakes and turn them for his glory!  That does not mean we should be ok with bad events or write off our mistakes because we know God can make good come from them.  We should still strive to do what is right and rebel against evil!

Genesis 7 -- The Flood Happened!

Genesis 7:1 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before Me in this generation. 2 You are to take with you seven pairs, a male and its female, of all the clean animals, and two of the animals that are not clean, a male and its female, 3 and seven pairs, male and female, of the birds of the sky—in order to keep offspring alive on the face of the whole earth. 4 Seven days from now I will make it rain on the earth 40 days and 40 nights, and I will wipe off from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.” 5 And Noah did everything that the Lord commanded him.

I notice a consistent theme here in reading about Noah.  He "did everything that the Lord commanded him." He alone was righteous, which is why God decided to spare he and his family from the destruction that was about to come upon the earth.  Noah was faithful to God in that he trusted everything God had told him.  He obeyed God's commands and did not question what the Lord was doing.  We also, should do everything God commands of us.  We should be faithful, like Noah, to follow through with what the Lord commands us to do.

Genesis 7:6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood came and water covered the earth. 7 So Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives entered the ark because of the waters of the flood.8 From the clean animals, unclean animals, birds, and every creature that crawls on the ground, 9 two of each, male and female, entered the ark with Noah, just as God had commanded him. 10 Seven days later the waters of the flood came on the earth.

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of the watery depths burst open, the floodgates of the sky were opened, 12 and the rain fell on the earth 40 days and 40 nights. 13 On that same day Noah along with his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s wife, and his three sons’ wives entered the ark with him. 14 They entered it with all the wildlife according to their kinds, all livestock according to their kinds, the creatures that crawl on the earth according to their kinds, all birds, every fowl, and everything with wings according to their kinds. 15 Two of all flesh that has the breath of life in it entered the ark with Noah. 16 Those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered just as God had commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in.
17 The flood continued for 40 days on the earth; the waters increased and lifted up the ark so that it rose above the earth. 18 The waters surged and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 Then the waters surged even higher on the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered. 20 The mountains were covered as the waters surged above them more than 20 feet. 21 Every creature perished—those that crawl on the earth, birds, livestock, wildlife, and those that swarm on the earth, as well as all mankind. 22 Everything with the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils—everything on dry land died. 23 He wiped out every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark. 24 And the waters surged on the earth 150 days.

Through the flood, God destroyed everything that was not on the ark.  Every creature that walked along the face of the earth and all birds of the air.   Many people try to say that the flood could not have possibly cover the whole earth and cover all the mountains in 20 feet of water.  Why not?  Why couldn't God have done that?  Many cultures have a story of a great flood and how people repopulated the earth.  To say it was localized to Noah's region does not account for all the stories other cultures tell.  Now, I believe the Bible portrays the accurate version of events.  The others, though having some truth, are not completely accurate.  Everyone likes to use the game telephone to describe this.  The Bible tells the true story, but others heard the story passed down from generation to generation, and the story slightly changes or parts are exaggerated and then myths are formed.  Now, you may say, "what a minute, wasn't the story in the Bible passed down from generation to generation, so it would have mistakes too, right?"  No!  And here is why:  The Bible is the inspired word of God.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

ALL scripture is inspired by God.  God does not lie!  He always tells the truth.

John 8:42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I came from God and I am here. For I didn’t come on My own, but He sent Me. 43 Why don’t you understand what I say? Because you cannot listen to My word. 44 You are of your father the Devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars. 45 Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Who among you can convict Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why don’t you believe Me? 47 The one who is from God listens to God’s words. This is why you don’t listen, because you are not from God.”

John records Jesus's words here saying that the Devil is the father of all liars.  Jesus says he speaks the truth!   Paul also plainly states that God cannot lie:

Titus 1:1 Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to build up the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness, 2 in the hope of eternal life that God, who cannot lie, promised before time began.

Since God does not lie and all scripture is inspired by God, then all scripture is true.

Psalm 119:The entirety of Your word is truth,
and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.

Since all scripture is true, we must obey what it says.  By faith, we believe that the words are true, as the Bible describes.  Like Noah, we must do "everything that the Lord commanded" us.

Genesis 1:1-3 -- Day 1

So, now that I have answered the question, why did God create all things, I'm going to continue reading, starting back at verse one.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.  Wow.  When I think about this and what it would have been like to actually see this happen, I think about being deep in a cave where no sunlight (or any light) has ever been.  To be in absolute darkness is what I imagine when I think about before light was created.  And when God spoke, I image that all of a sudden, it becomes so brightly blinding with light.  White all around.  You can see nothing but light.

My husband has written a blog post himself about the beginning and what he believes happened.  If you would like to see his blog, which goes into a lot more scripture and details than mine, just visit What happened "In the beginning?" and The end of "What happened in the beginning?"

Genesis 1:4 God saw that the light was good,and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Yes, I believe in a literal six day creation.  I believe God created all things in six days.  I used to believe that the six days of creation corresponded to geological time periods.  I was trying to reconcile the Bible with science.  (I will not go into a deep theological discussion on my understanding of why I believe in six literal days of creation, but if you want to know more or less my personal beliefs, my husband has also written a blog on that!  If you want to read it, just visit Why I believe in six literal days of creation and Part 2.)

Another part of science that people try to reconcile the Bible with is the Big Bang, saying that the creation story is an account of the Big Bang.  One major assumption of the Big Bang is that the universe was created by an explosion of very dense, chaotic material.  Some, in an attempt to reconcile the two, say that God simply spoke order into what was already there, thus the Big Bang happened.  I see at least one major issue with this.  If God's creation of the universe was simply ordering what was already there, then where did the stuff come from that God made the universe from?  Why couldn't God make something from nothing?  He is God.  All things are possible with him!  I believe that God created the world from nothing.  He brought forth all things by the Word of his mouth and the power of his hands.  I found a few verses to look at.

John 1:3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

John says that "without him, NOTHING was made."  This clearly suggest that nothing existed that God did not make.  EVERYTHING we see, know, feel, and experience was made by God.  IF there was an event like the Big Bang, then God was the one who created the material from which the Big Bang occurred.  We, as humans, have a hard time imaging this.  We can only create using materials.  We bend and manipulate them to form something new.  God does not need anything to create.  He can create with just his words.  We cannot just make something if we want.  We cannot say I want to create a flower and the flower just appear.  (Which is what I image happened when God spoke -- Yes he is that powerful!)

Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

Hebrews says that "by faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command."  By Faith.  That means we must believe that the Bible has told us the truth about what happened in creation.  We were not there, so we will not ever know for sure what happened when God said, "Let there be light."  We can imagine and believe and that is about it.

Colossians 1:16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  

Colossians here says "all things have been created through him."  ALL things.  EVERY thing.

Now these things are not to say that science and the Bible can never agree.  And I am not against science.  I love science, just not all their theories.  Science attempts to explain the order in the universe.  God created the universe, and gave it order and us the knowledge and understanding to see the order and learn about how it works.  Thus we have science:  to help us better understand the creation of God.

Genesis 1:1 -- In the beginning...

In an effort to do my daily readings and actually meditate on the Word of God, I am going to type out my thoughts and feelings upon my readings each day.  I do not know about all of you out there, but I know for me, I have a hard time committing to reading everyday, or even thinking about doing it.  I know I need some sort of accountability!

Now where to start!  I think the best place to begin is in the beginning, with Genesis.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

After reading just the one verse, I think to myself, where else does the Bible use the phrase "In the beginning?"  I know right of hand that it is used in John 1:1, which reads:

John 1.1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  2.  He was with God in the beginning.

I know from Bible studies and sermons that John is talking about Jesus in these verses.  "In the beginning was the Word:"  Jesus has always been.  "The Word was with God:" Jesus has always been with God, from the beginning.  "The Word was God:" Jesus and God are one.   The fact the verse 2 repeats "He was with God in the beginning" shows how important it is to know that God and Jesus have always been.

A second reference is in Psalms:

Psalm 102:25 

In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.

This verse is also repeated in Hebrews 1:10.  They both show the importance of knowing God is the creator.  None of this just happened!  The earth is not an accident.  It was all planned and designed by God.

Ok, now going back to Genesis 1.   When is the beginning?  Well, the beginning is the start of time.  God has always existed.  He exist inside and outside of time.  That is how he can be everywhere at all times.  We cannot fathom what it is like to be outside of time, since time is all we know.

"God created the heavens and the earth."  Yes he did!  God created the earth and everything in it (as we read later).  This leads me to another question... Why?  Why did God create the heavens and the earth?  What was the purpose.  He did not have to.  He was complete by himself, so why was the heavens and the earth created?  I will have to tackle this tomorrow... they little one is calling me!