Israel - Born out of Slavery and Wandering

Ok, so I'm trying to play catch up. I've been meaning to write for some time and have not made the time to do it. So this may be a bunch of random thoughts that may end up connecting in the end. We'll see. This is some more reflection of my read through the bible.
Again, God works and does things so unlike we humans would do them. So, God allows Joseph to be sold into slavery to get him to Egypt. He becomes a great leader and organizer there. Then God eventually commands Israel (Joseph's papa) to go to Egypt to see his son. It is here in Egypt that God tells Israel he will be made into a great nation. Now it's my guess that when Jacob heard this he didn't think that the great nation would flourish by being put into slavery. God is a strange one. But, that is what he does. If I were God, and thank God that I'm not, but if I were, I would have placed Israel in the promised land right from the start. It would have been whole lot easier and faster. All this slavery and wandering around in the desert doesn't seem like the quickest way to the promised land.
So why does God do it this way? Well, it seems in my humble opinion that it is three fold. One, that the people of Israel would become a holy (set apart) people of God. It is in their exodus that God really begins to set them apart. In the Passover sequence, the first thing God does is begins a new calendar for Israel. A different calendar it seems from the rest of the nations. The first thing that we hear from God in the commands for the Passover is this, "This month is to be FOR YOU the first month, the first month of your year." So, Israels deliverance is the beginning of a new way of keeping time. It may seem small, but it says that God is charge of our time, and it is different then how other nations do it. Our rhythm of life is different then yours. God is in charge of our rhythm of life. The rhythm of life continues to be set apart when God commands that the Passover will need to celebrated every year. I find it interesting that God commands this even before it all happens. It is so important that this is celebrated that God tells them that those that do not celebrate the Passover need to be cut off from the community of Israel. This is some commitment to a celebration and remembrance. It is important. It is important to their rhythm of life, it is a remembrance that other's don't celebrate, and it is an identity former. It begins to form their identity to the point of saying that if you don't do it, you are not a part. In the desert God also gives them a Sabbath. Which again is a new rhythm of life that is not like any where else. Besides setting them apart as a people of God, Passover of course reminds them that God has delivered and provided.
Which is the second reason I see God has done things the way he did them. Without their deliverance and wandering through the desert, Israel would never learn that God is trustworthy. Ok, ok, some may ask if they EVER really trusted and got it, but they had the opportunity to learn. Yes, it amazes me how much they grumbled about wandering around in the desert wishing they were back in captivity. "Where are you God?" And then I think of me and am amazed about how much I don't trust and wish God would have lead me to different places. And how I take more then my share of the manna for fear God won't provide for the next day. God provided enough for them to eat their fill and still some didn't trust. Reminds me of myself. (See my note God Provides) God then does gives them another lasting reminder of God's provision by commanding that a jar be filled with manna and placed in front of the Testimony. Cool that it is called the Testimony. A testimony of what God has done. Which brings me to the number three.
I find interesting in how often the phrase "That they (Egyptians) will know that I am Lord" is used. It seems to pop up everywhere in some form another. Israel was not made for itself. It was formed for the nations. God works through Israel to let the nations know who is really God. I think it has to do with number one above. Israel is not just set apart for their sake, to keep them protected as a nice little nation, but for the benefit that the Nations would see the Glory of God. How do we as whole people of God do this today?? I think about the state of today's Church a lot. And am saddened many times by it, but I know that God is still in control. Israel didn't always obey, didn't always live as God commanded, but many times God's glory and might were still seen because God was at work, not because Israel was a always a faithful people. Do we still need to strive to be a people set apart, of course, and we need to continually listen and obey, but I know that even when we screw up God is ultimately in control. So, maybe, this connected a lot better then I thought. Sweet.

Struggling with God Part II

The story of Jacob continues to amaze me. He continues to deceive and connive to get his way, and God continues to bless. God's blessing to Jacob was the he would "give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness-an abundance of grain and new wine." God follows through with his promise even though Jacob continues to live like a conniving son of a gun. But, the interesting thing is his struggle with God continues. So here is Jacob, he comes into the land of his Uncle Laban. He gets two wives, who in their competition for Jacob's love, bare him son after son after son, even if it's not of themselves. And when they themselves can't bare children, they offer Jacob their maidservants to bear more children from them. And the 12 tribes of Israel are born. Ahh what a Beautiful beginning......? Jacob then THINKS he is in control of getting rich and powerful. Jacob wants to go home but Laban insists that he stays since Jacob has worked hard for Laban and increased Laban's livestock in great numbers. So Jacob says "ok, I'll stay, but since I have worked so hard for you, give me some of the livestock. I'll even take the crappy livestock, the ones with blemishes. And I'll keep any livestock that is born with blemishes and give you any "clean" ones." So..... what does Jacob do, what anyone would do and place blemished sticks in front of the mating livestock so that the mating livestock would see the blemished sticks and bear blemished livestock. I think I learned it my college biology class once too. Then Jacob THINKS he is playing God by mating the strong livestock in front of sticks and weak livestock not in front of sticks. It works. Jacob thinks he is in charge. Laban continues to change the rules on Jacob and says He can only keep the spotted ones,or the stripped ones, well, Jacob continues to miraculously bear these livestocks. Jacob finally realizes maybe it's not these sticks at all, but God is doing the blessing. God's promise of blessing comes through competition, greed, and deception. How often do you feel like we are in control? How often do we come up with a program that will bring the lost to salvation? According to this story, God's got a plan, and it's gonna come to it's fullness no matter what. Weather it be through deception, greed, or honesty, God's story will continue. Now, I'm not saying we need to sit back and do nothing, or that it doesn't matter weather we live like God wants us to or not, but that it seems like the Big Picture story of God salvation of the world is gonna continue no matter how we do it or THINK it should be done.
God does teach Jacob a lesson though. He literally comes down to wrestle and struggle with Jacob. Jacob's lesson, he can't do it on his own. Jacob is humbled. Half way through the match, Jacob is doing pretty well, giving God a run for his money. It looks like Jacob is gonna get the pin, but then God says, Jacob you are not in control, let me be in control, and boom, God hits Jacob in the hip and gives him a handicap. It reminds of Paul and his thorn in his flesh. It is because of his weakness that grace can abound. It is because of weakness that God can work. I need to see that it is not me in control, that I am not in charge, and sometimes need reminders of my weakness and need for him. Only then can God truly work through me. It is not me at work, but God. I will continue to struggle with God. God will continue to give me my thorns in my flesh, so God will remind me that I can't beat him, that I need him, that it is Him at work, that his GRACE abounds. That His Promises are true no matter what I do. When I look for fulfillment in other places, God's promise that He will take care of me will continue. When I don't feel loved, his promise of his love to me continues. When I hurt those around me, God's promise of forgiveness and reconciliation is still there. God's plan will continue. My struggle with God continues.

Struggling with God

I just don't get God sometimes.....In fact this morning I got darn right angry at him for something He allowed way back in Genesis. Some friends and I are reading the Bible in a year together. It has already proven to be a great growth thing for me in understanding the the character of God, which for me I guess I just don't get. So, today was the reading of Jacob and Esau. And it seems so unfair. While ok, let's be honest, Esau was probably not the brightest light in the place. Could he really have been that hungry to give up his birthright?? He must have been real hungry or not very strong willed or Jacob again was just being a bully.
"I will not give you any food unless you give me your birthright." I can just imagine it. Anyway, but then that Jacob and his mother would deceive his father into giving him the blessing of becoming a great nation when it rightfully belonged to Esau. AND that this is where God's people, Israel, will come from. God's people came from deception. God blessed the deceiver. It seems so strange. Then, God not only allows his people to come from Jacob's line, but then changes his name to Israel, and that God's people would forever be known as Israelites. It's crazy...... I just don't get it. I mean, why aren't they called the nation of Abraham. He was faithful, sure Abraham had his issues too, but come on......Jacob outright deceived. Then I remember what Israel means, "Struggles with God." And I am somewhat comforted. So.. God's people, God's society, the people that He wants to use to bring all nations to Himself, the people that the whole world will watch to see the glory of God, is called "Struggles with God." Not The Perfect Nation, not the Holy of Holies, Not the nation that Walked hand in hand with God and skipped into the Sunset, but Struggles with God. Israel did have their struggles with God, they rejected him, they looked to other places to be provided for, the worshiped other Gods, and yet God never gave up on His people and the idea that all the nations would be blessed because of Israel. I guess there is hope for me..... I've been struggling with God again....Who he has made me to be, the things he has called me to, who He is, will He provide, I look to so many other places for fulfillment, and yet maybe God can still use me. I'm still not I get why choose his people to come from named after a deceiver like Jacob, but I am thankful, because today it has given me hope.