January 30- Never Forget

January 30, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Exodus 10:1-12:13; Matthew 20:1-28;
Psalm 25:1-15; Proverbs 6:6-11

Family traditions counter alienation and confusion. They help us define who we are; they provide something steady, reliable and safe in a confusing world. 
~ Susan Lieberman

Exodus 10:1-12:13

As a young mother I found myself contemplating what traditions we would have in our home for special occasions.  I wanted our children to have a reference for what was important to our family.  When they were young, I created a construction paper tree that I taped to the sliding glass door in our kitchen.  I also cut out various colored construction paper leaves.  Each day for a couple of weeks prior to Thanksgiving I would hand the children a leaf and have them write something for which they were thankful.  By the time Thanksgiving rolled around we had a beautiful tree filled with colorful leaves representing all that we could thank God for.  It was a picture of our gratitude.  It was something to help the kids never forget what God had done for our family.

Today God is also creating a picture for the children of Israel.  The plagues were designed to be a life-altering reminder and an eternal symbol of judgment against following other gods.  God considers our intimate relationship with Him a marriage.  Egypt represents an adulterous wife.  She's been playing around with many men.  Let's just say, the bridegroom is a very unhappy!  Here are the final plagues:

• Locusts-God mentions that the Israelites will be able to tell their children and grandchildren about all that God did in Egypt.  Gee, we are still talking about it today!
• Darkness for three days- This would be a very scary plague.  Imagine the heaviness of no light.
• Death-the firstborn male, both human and animal, will die.  Nothing is more devastating than the loss of a child.  This is the final blow to a culture that rejected the one True God.

God now begins the process of setting up traditions for the Jewish people.  From here on out, God builds a calendar for the nation of Israel.  Within this calendar there are days of worship and celebration designed to remind them of their God and what He will accomplish on earth throughout history. The celebrations and feasts are pictures of Christ and His work on earth.

The calendar begins in the month of April and the first commemoration is the Passover Feast.  This feast is a reminder of what God did in Egypt by passing over the homes of the Israelites when He punished the Egyptians with the death of their firstborn sons. We will discuss tomorrow how this feast pictures Christ's work on the cross.

Here are the rules for Passover:

• Chose a lamb on the tenth day that will be sacrificed.
• It must be a one year old male.
• Sacrifice the family lamb on the fourteenth day of the month.
• Take the blood of the lamb and smear it on the outside doorpost of your house.
• That night eat the roasted lamb with bitter herbs and bread without yeast.
• Have no left overs of the meat.  Burn what is not eaten.
• Wear traveling clothes as you eat.
• Wear sandals and carry a walking stick.
• Eat quickly.
• When God sees the blood He will pass over your home and not bring death to your firstborn.

Obedience to this ritual insured the life of the Israelites during this final plague.

Lesson:  God wants to have a monogamous relationship with you.  He gets upset if you cheat. He creates pictures and symbols to remind us of the truth about Himself.


What did you learn from this story?

Matthew 20:1-28

Here we go again, people.  Are you starting to pick up on Jesus' ideas?  Today he tells a story to illustrate the fact that..."the first shall be last and the last shall be first."  This story is of the man who hires workers to work his fields.  He hires people at 9, noon, 3 pm, and 5pm.  Guess what?  The people hired at 5 pm get the same wages as the people hired at 9 am.  What is God's point?  First, He's in charge and can do as He pleases.  Second, He determines rewards based on faithfulness (aka. faith in him).  Also, for the nation of Israel, the Gentiles who come later in the story are included in the family of God.  The Gentiles will be in the Christ's universal church along with Jewish believers in Christ. These are important lessons that Jesus wanted to teach. Jesus then reiterates that he will suffer and die in the future, but will be raised from the dead.

Next, James and John's mother provide Jesus with another great teaching opportunity.  She comes and requests that her two boys be seated at Jesus' right and left in the Kingdom of Heaven. I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!!!  What a great mom.  Of course, she wants a good position for her kids.  Jesus' response is that she really does not know what she is asking.  Christ is revealing to his Jewish believers that there is a kingdom program of which they were unaware. In their mind, Christ was going to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies of ruling on earth from Jerusalem immediately. Jesus is teaching that there is a mystery kingdom where his faithful followers suffer for his name and follow him in humility before the day of honor in his earthly kingdom. That is why he keeps calling it the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus will be ruling from Heaven during this mystery kingdom of the Church age.

In the mystery kingdom there is a different lesson: To be like Christ one must be a servant to others, rather than be a leader who lords it over others, and to receive honor in the kingdom of heaven one must be willing to suffer. Honor = Suffering in the Kingdom of Heaven during the Church age.  Jesus states that it is up to the Father to bestow positions of honor in the future kingdom of Christ's reign on earth.  Here is the Principle of Opposites- To be great, you must be lowly.  To have a high position, you must be a servant.  Jesus came to serve, suffer, and succumb to death, a death that he did not deserve.  He is our example of greatness. Jesus' humility and perfect obedience to God's will position him to inherit all of creation. We are to follow him in this.

Lesson:  Your behavior matters.  Serve others if you want to please God and be rewarded in heaven.  Be faithful where you are.

How have you served others this week?  Who have you put ahead of yourself lately?

Psalm 25:1-15

This is a wonderful psalm.  I like to circle the verbs, i.e. show me, lead me, remember, forgive.  I love verse 14 that says, "Friendship with the Lord is reserved for those who fear him.  With them he shares the secrets of his covenant."  This reminds me of God sharing many secrets with Moses, Daniel, and Abraham.  He is also sharing with you and me because this Bible is the book of His secrets revealed!

Proverbs 6:6-11

Laziness leads to poverty.

What did you see today?  Please share.

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton