Day 113: Our Expectations Versus God's Expectations
Read: Deuteronomy 10:10 - 13, Exodus 3 - 4
There is a passage of Scripture that was placed before me this morning
that just seems to be a natural extension of the devotion from yesterday
"who may go up the Lord's mountain?" I got to thinking about something
after a very healthy discussion of expectations at last nights Bible
Study. In particular, it was regarding God's very own expectation of His people whom He lead from Egypt to the foot of Mount Sinai that He might give them a second set of stone tablets with His ten
commandments. Moses said before his people: (10) 'I stayed on the
mountain 40 days and 40 nights as I did the first time. Once again the
Lord listened to me and agreed not to destroy you.'
'As I did the first time'? Wait a minute! How many times had Moses been called to the mountain top?
I mean, how many times did God expect an 80 year old Moses to climb
over jagged rocks, perched on high cliffs, balance along narrow paths
looking down into gorges below carrying with him all the provisions he
would need for living and surviving 40 days of wilderness heat and 40
days of very cold nights? I mean, I really desire that you would take
some time to seriously consider the enormity of the task that Moses was
expected by God to do? What was on God's mind or in His heart when He
called Moses up each time? Exercise? Joy at Moses' expense? A test of
Moses' obedience, his character?
Scripture is not really clear about why God
expected Moses to do these things. The first thing I thought of was that
it was what Moses expected of himself to meet the expectations of being
in, remaining in and deepening of a close personal relationship with
God who had called him away from the burden of life as a fugitive on the
run, a burden of a life governed by deep un-revealable secrets, a life
of lost potential, a life of unfulfilled purpose, a life of mediocrity
in a far away land, away from your family.
This is the life Moses,
raised by Pharaoh to be a Prince, perhaps even an expected role as
future Pharaoh of the land, left behind in Egypt when he killed the
Egyptian.
Moses fled into the desert expecting who know what?
Death? Miracles of water or food? Expecting to be an unknown, lost and
anonymous soul? No relationships except the animals he would have to
fend off to survive? No human companionship to be found anywhere? Or
perhaps worse yet, the expectation that there was no hope to be found
anywhere at anytime for any reason? Probably true! Even for us today
when we reach a place in our lives when life seems to suddenly
reverse its course and it appears there is no way out any time soon. I
am not even sure if Moses had any expectation that he would find a
saving God. But I believe God expects He will find us finding Him and being grateful for it.
Let Us Pray: Psalm 27
http://www.youtube.com/
Read: Deuteronomy 10:10 - 13, Exodus 3 - 4
There is a passage of Scripture that was placed before me this morning that just seems to be a natural extension of the devotion from yesterday "who may go up the Lord's mountain?" I got to thinking about something after a very healthy discussion of expectations at last nights Bible Study. In particular, it was regarding God's very own expectation of His people whom He lead from Egypt to the foot of Mount Sinai that He might give them a second set of stone tablets with His ten commandments. Moses said before his people: (10) 'I stayed on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights as I did the first time. Once again the Lord listened to me and agreed not to destroy you.'
'As I did the first time'? Wait a minute! How many times had Moses been called to the mountain top?
I mean, how many times did God expect an 80 year old Moses to climb over jagged rocks, perched on high cliffs, balance along narrow paths looking down into gorges below carrying with him all the provisions he would need for living and surviving 40 days of wilderness heat and 40 days of very cold nights? I mean, I really desire that you would take some time to seriously consider the enormity of the task that Moses was expected by God to do? What was on God's mind or in His heart when He called Moses up each time? Exercise? Joy at Moses' expense? A test of Moses' obedience, his character?
Scripture is not really clear about why God expected Moses to do these things. The first thing I thought of was that it was what Moses expected of himself to meet the expectations of being in, remaining in and deepening of a close personal relationship with God who had called him away from the burden of life as a fugitive on the run, a burden of a life governed by deep un-revealable secrets, a life of lost potential, a life of unfulfilled purpose, a life of mediocrity in a far away land, away from your family.
This is the life Moses, raised by Pharaoh to be a Prince, perhaps even an expected role as future Pharaoh of the land, left behind in Egypt when he killed the Egyptian.
Moses fled into the desert expecting who know what? Death? Miracles of water or food? Expecting to be an unknown, lost and anonymous soul? No relationships except the animals he would have to fend off to survive? No human companionship to be found anywhere? Or perhaps worse yet, the expectation that there was no hope to be found anywhere at anytime for any reason? Probably true! Even for us today when we reach a place in our lives when life seems to suddenly reverse its course and it appears there is no way out any time soon. I am not even sure if Moses had any expectation that he would find a saving God. But I believe God expects He will find us finding Him and being grateful for it.
Let Us Pray: Psalm 27
http://www.youtube.com/
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