With Freedom comes Responsibility but Faith carries us through Difficult Times…
The Israelites were free from the bondage of the Egyptians. Moses led them out into the desert. God led Moses, with Aaron as his spokesperson, to lead the Israelites out into the desert.
Into the desert were there was no food to eat or water to drink.
Our well-intended spiritual plans face reality!
And all of the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
“Why have you brought us into this desert, that you might destroy all the multitude with famine?”
Hush child and I will feed you… and learn something about you at the same time.
“That I may prove them whether they will walk in my law, or not. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.”
In the evening the Lord will give you flesh to eat (quails), and in the morning bread to full (manna).
Why didst thou make us go forth out of Egypt, to kill us and our children, and our beasts with thirst?
Thou shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it that the people may drink.
There were difficult people and difficult times, not unlike ourselves, our family, our company, our community, our country and our world.
Temptation… for that they tempted the Lord, saying: Is the Lord amongst us or not?
Wherefore do you tempt the Lord?
And they harkened not to him…. And Moses was angry with them.
“How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my law?”
Tomorrow is the rest of the Sabbath sanctified to the Lord.
They looked towards the wilderness: and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud.
And the taste thereof like to flour and honey. And the children of Israel ate manna forty years. And let it be kept unto generations to come hereafter.
Forty years, wow, to be fed from the skies above one day at a time except for the Sabbath.
Then there was war but God was on their side!
And when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel overcame.
So they took a stone, and put under him, and he sat on it: and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands on both sides.
And the Lord said to Moses: Write this for a memorial in a book. The Lord my exaltation.
I wonder if Moses wrote the book or passed along his thoughts, faith and experience to someone who passed it along to someone and so forth and so on until it was included in the Book of Exodus in the Old Testament?
Food, water and war problem solved.
Now, says Dad, let’s get down to basics on how we will run this house, this civilization.
The Ten Commandments.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
- You shalt not have strange gods before me.
- You shall not make for yourself a graven image (an idol), or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
- Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
- You shall not kill.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
The Israelites were terrified and struck with fear.
Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that the dread of Him might be in you, and you should not sin.
You shall offer upon it your holocausts and peace offerings.
I will come to thee, and will bless thee.
Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob (Israel), and tell the children of Israel: You have seen what I have done to the Egyptians, how I have carried you upon the wings of eagles, and have taken you to myself. If therefore you will hear my voice, and keep my covenant, you shall be my peculiar possession above all people: for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a priestly kingdom, and a holy nation.
And then there was slavery and the brutal “shall be put to death” for what seems less than deeds of corporal punishment today—striking and cursing parents and kidnapping.
If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve thee: in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
He shall render life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, would for wound, stripe for stripe.
The archaic laws under the Old Testament of the Old Covenant of Law and Order First versus the New Testament of the New Covenant based on a heart first, love and compassion doctrine as demonstrated by Jesus for our sake.
With freedom comes responsibility to utilize our faith that not only carries us through difficult times but also germinates and grows us to emerge those difficult times as a renewed person with a vibrant heart.
Day 25: Reading The Bible with a TROML Perspective; With Freedom comes Responsibility but Faith carries us through Difficult Times…
Read and inspired by the Old Testament, The Book of Exodus Chapters 16-21
Bible Notes:
This Book of Exodus is so called from the Greek word exodus, which means going out.
It recounts the persecution of the Jews in Egypt, the call of Moses, the ten plagues, the Jewish departure from Egypt, and the giving of the Mosaic Law on Mount Sinai.
The Book of Exodus closes with the consecration of the Tabernacle.
Exodus Chapter 16: The desert of Sin; The Israelites complain for lack of food; The Lord promises a rain of bread; The glory of the Lord appears in a cloud; The Lord provides flesh and manna; Gathering the manna; Manna for the Sabbath; A gomor of manna is preserved.
And the set forth from Elim… and came into the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai.
And all of the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.
Why have you brought us into this desert, that you might destroy all the multitude with famine?
That I may prove them whether they will walk in my law, or not.
In the evening the Lord will give you flesh to eat (quails), and in the morning bread to full (manna).
They looked towards the wilderness: and, behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in a cloud.
And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.
What is this? This is the bread, which the Lord hath given you to eat.
A gomor for every man. Now a gomor is the tenth part of an ephi.
And they harkened not to him…. And Moses was angry with them.
Tomorrow is the rest of the Sabbath sanctified to the Lord.
How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my law?
And the taste thereof like to flour and honey.
And let it be kept unto generations to come hereafter
And the children of Israel ate manna forty years.
Exodus Chapter 17: The Lord gives water out of a rock; Josue defeats Amalec; Moses builds an altar.
Wherefore do you tempt the Lord?
Why didst thou make us go forth out of Egypt, to kill us and our children, and our beasts with thirst?
Thou shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it that the people may drink.
Temptation… for that they tempted the Lord, saying: Is the Lord amongst us or not?
And when Moses lifted up his hands, Israel overcame.
So they took a stone, and put under him, and he sat on it: and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands on both sides.
And the Lord said to Moses: Write this for a memorial in a book.
The Lord my exaltation.
Exodus Chapter 18: Jethro brings Moses’ family to him; Moses entertains Jethro; Moses accepts Jethro’s advice; Moses appoints rulers to judge the people.
Jethro, Moses father-in-law brings his wife Sephora and two sons Gersam and Eliezar.
And they saluted one another with words of peace
Blessed is the Lord
Now I know that the Lord is great above all gods: because they dealt proudly against them.
Offered holocausts and sacrifices to God.
The people came to me to seek the Judgment of God.
They come to me to judge between them, and to show the precepts of God and his laws.
The business is above thy strength. Thou alone canst not bear it.
Such as fear God, in whom there is truth, and that hate avarice, and appoint them rulers of Thousands… who may judge the people at all times.
And when Moses heard this, he did all things that he (Jethro) had suggested unto him.
Whatsoever was of greater difficulty they referred to him, and they judged the easier cases only.
Exodus Chapter 19: Encampment at Sinai; God’s message to the children of Israel; The answer of the Israelites; God promises to appear before the people; The people are sanctified; The Lord appears on Mount Sinai and speaks to Moses.
Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob (Israel), and tell the children of Israel: You have seen what I have done to the Egyptians, how I have carried you upon the wings of eagles, and have taken you to myself. If therefore you will hear my voice, and keep my covenant, you shall be my peculiar possession above all people: for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a priestly kingdom, and a holy nation.
Sanctify
Thou shalt come up, thou (Moses) and Aaron with thee.
Exodus Chapter 20: The Ten Commandments; Fear of the Israelites, Directions concerning the altar.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
- You shalt not have strange gods before me.
- You shall not make for yourself a graven image (an idol), or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
- You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your manservant, or your maidservant, or your cattle, or the sojourner who is within your gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
- Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
- You shall not kill.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his ass, or anything that is your neighbor’s.
Being terrified and struck with fear.
Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that the dread of Him might be in you, and you should not sin.
You shall offer upon it your holocausts and peace offerings.
I will come to thee, and will bless thee.
Exodus Chapter 21: Laws for men servants; Laws for women servants; Punishments for murder and manslaughter; Punishment for striking parents; Punishment for kidnapping; Punishment for cursing parents; Punishment for assault; Protection of women with child; Punishment for injuring servants; Laws pertaining to animals that injure men; Laws pertaining to injury done to animals.
If thou buy a Hebrew servant, six years shall he serve thee: in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing.
He that striketh a man with a will to kill him, shall be put to death.
Shall be put to death—striking parents, kidnapping, cursing parents.
He shall render life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for burning, would for wound, stripe for stripe.
Stripe—vigorous or bitter conflict, discord, or antagonism: to be at strife; a quarrel, struggle, or clash: armed strife; competition or rivalry: the strife of the marketplace; Archaic. strenuous effort.
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