Day 34: Freed From and Freed For

Today we read Exodus 10-11, Leviticus 8, and Psalms 50. The first story we read today in Exodus 10 and 11 is best understood in context and comparison. I think it’s important to draw a sharp contrast between what Pharaoh did - killed Hebrew babies for coming into existence vs God not retaliating in vengeance but displaying His power beyond Pharaoh yet offering mercy, offering a way for no one to die and then offering individual families a way to allow a sacrifice to cover over their house and avoid death. This comparison displays God as both just and merciful, but if we still struggle with it all, I think it’s important to remind ourselves to put our trust in the one who is wisdom itself and put our faith in the “who” over our need for the answer to “why.” It’s also ok for stories like this to cause distress and feel uncomfortable. But our reaction to these feelings is important. I recall the story of Job here. What we do not want is to make our response one where we know wisdom, right and wrong, over God and where we lean into a sense of self-righteousness or pride that might in fact lead our hearts to become harder and more distant from Yahweh. The second story, Leviticus 8, reminds me of how the responsibility to teach makes me seek to understand something and apply it in a deeper way than when I am just the student. Maybe this is my shortcoming or perhaps your experiences are similar. This got me thinking about how (a) God commissioning Moses and (b) Moses commissioning Aaron and his sons to (c) commission all of Israel is something like the train-the-trainer model where the first teaches the second, the second then shadows the first, then the first shadows the second, and the process is repeated where the second becomes the first and so on until we have a kingdom of priests that (1) puts God on display, (2) helps others navigate their atonement in Jesus, and (3) intercedes in prayer for people, and (3) is prodigally generous with our resources to those in need.

*Correction, it was Judah not Levi that suggested to sell Joseph into slavery in Genesis 18

Resources:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings (March, 2017), A Kingdom of What? (40 minutes), Retrieved from https://www.bemadiscipleship.com/25 

Give an overview of the book of Leviticus.

A Kingdom of What? Presentation (PDF)

Discussion Video for BEMA 25

Leviticus: A Call to Priesthood (Sermon Series) — Real Life on the Palouse - Paule Patterson

Dr. Tim Mackie and John Collins, https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/exodus-1-18/ 

 

Dr. Carmen Imes, Exodus Class - Exodus 1-40, (14 hours) Bible Project. https://bibleproject.com/classroom/overview/exodus-overview/ 

Credits:

Podcast music by Stockaudios from Pixabay. Speaker, Dr. Rachel Bodell. Podcast Sound Engineer, Alan Darling. Podcast Artwork, Will Gerard.