In Awe of the Word of God

I haven't blogged in a while because I've had too many other things that had to be done. I've wanted to often, as I've been reading along with you sisters. I have also read your posts, and love them every time. God often uses you to point out more cool truth to me, although I may not always leave a comment. Anyway, I just had to post today.
I am in awe of the Word of God! Actually I am in awe of the God of the Word, and how He has been revealing Himself to mankind from the beginning of time. I've recently become friends with some people who don't really believe in God because they've been given a wrong perception of who He is. They think He is angry, mean, judgemental, and condemning. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I used to even kinda think that God was a little like that in the Old Testament, but Jesus took God's wrath for us, so God is nicer now. That is also full of error. Jesus did bear the wrath of God in our place, but not because God is mean- but because He is good! As we have been reading the Old Testament, I keep seeing that God is continually reaching out to us and making a way for us to know Him. He has always wanted us to trust Him, worship Him, love Him, and know Him.
We must remember that He is holy and awesome, and we can't approach Him with a prideful, sinful heart. But because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we can approach Him!
In our reading today God gave specific instructions for the clothing and ordaining of the priests. My NLT Bible says God wanted their garments to be glorious and beautiful. Right off the bat, I just love that as a woman. But then I immediately thought of Jesus, and how He is our High Priest who ushers us into the presence of God. Jesus, my sweet Saviour, is so glorious and beautiful! Jesus made a way for us to be forgiven and purified so we could come into His presence, the presence of God, and know Him! Hallelujah! Now He has also set us apart, and made us glorious and beautiful as we reflect Him to the people around us. Wow.
Then we read about the ordination sacrifices. It was very elaborate and serious. God wanted us to know that He is holy, and sin is a serious problem that keeps us from His presence. Still He wanted people to know that He loves them and wants to live among them and be their very own God. That is incredible! Then, with tears in my eyes, my heart wells up with gratitude as I realize that Jesus became the perfect and final sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, so that we could come to know God. Ya'll that was His plan the whole time. I know we've all been taught that before, but it just seems more real to me today. God set up this elaborate way for the Israelites to come to Him with reverence and humility, realizing the seriousness of sin. But He knew the whole time that He was going to make the ultimate sacrifice for our sins Himself!
I am so in awe of God. I have been such a sinner in my lifetime, and I am amazed that Father God sacrificed His own Son, pouring out all of His wrath and fury for my sin on Him, because He wanted to save me. I am amazed that Jesus, knowing all my sin and all the times I'd take Him lightly, willingly laid down His life and suffered a cruel, agonizing, humiliating death, because He wanted to save me. What kind of love is this?! Hallelujah!
Holy Father, Spirit, Jesus, please forgive me for ever doubting Your love for me just because I suffer a little pain. My suffering is usually of my own doing anyway, and I certainly deserve no more than hell. Thank You for forgiving me. Thank You for reminding me that Your love for me is so deep and strong and all-encompassing, that I will never be able to comprehend the depths of it. You know everything I've done, still You love me fully and completely. You don't look at me in my sin, You see me clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. :) I love You! Please help me to share the glory and beauty of Your love with the people You've put around me. You are not an angry, mean, condemning God. You are a loving, Self-sacrificing God who bore our punishment and set us free! Hallelujah! Thank You. Amen.

Tactical Errors

When I was in college, I wrote all of my papers with three other girls in the history department, and we quickly earned the nickname, "The Four Horsemen." I was War (which probably doesn't surprise anyone who knows me), because I talked a lot about tactics and plans of attack, etc. Reading my Bible today, I saw some interesting things.

God did not want His people traveling through the Philistine country, because they were not ready for battle; war would only encourage them to return to Egypt, where at least people weren't openly fighting them. God's alternative was to lead them into a clear trap--a strategically terrible physical layout.

Ex. 13:20-14:4 After leaving Succoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or by night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, 'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.' And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for Myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians wil know that I am the LORD." So the Israelites did this.

This is so interesting. God trumps all the gods of Egypt--absolutely slaughters them--with the ten plagues. God leads His people out with plunder from the land of Egypt; they are the richest escaped slaves ever. He stays with them day and night, with an obvious sign of His presence and care, and then He says, "Turn back. Put yourselves in danger. Back into a position from which there is no retreat and no escape, where the Egyptians can see you, and they will surely come to kill you. I intend to glorify Myself here." In any military situation, what the Israelites did would only be the last-ditch effort of an amateur strategist who had, quite frankly, lost it. Who, when given a chance to escape, turns back and intentionally puts himself into an impossible position? Tactically, this is the worst move ever. This is General Custer at the Little Bighorn. It's an invitation to hopeless slaughter. And many of the Israelites recognize this when they see Pharaoh's army drawn up in bristling array at the only possible exit from the area: "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"

What I love here is that the LORD has a plan, even though He doesn't immediately articulate it for His people. He intends to turn the thing that makes escape impossible into the perfect escape route; the sea will become a highway, and the highway will become a grave for the Egyptian army. God put His people into an impossible situation because He wanted to do something impossible. What kinds of impossible things does God want to do in our lives? Are we willing to be put into a position of no retreat and no escape? "The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army He has hurled into the sea" (15:3-4a). What battles does our great Warrior God want to win in our lives? Are we willing to face certain failure to watch Him win miraculously?

O Father, I want to trust You like Moses.