"God replied to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' Say this to the people of Israel:
I AM has sent me to you."
Genesis 3:14
I AM has sent me to you."
Genesis 3:14
My Take-Aways:
Something Old:
Genesis 1:7,9
If the Israelites multiplied greatly, become powerful, and out numbered the Egyptians then how were they over taken by the Egyptians. Could it be they had been worn down mentally and just submitted? We get warn down after years of "slavery" and end up giving into things we should be able to defeat.
Something New:
Genesis 1:11
The Israelites built the cities of Pithom and Rameses.
Something to Do:
Trust God as my I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE!
25 Comments:
Happy Monday everyone! Job was awesome, but it is kind of nice to be back in the familiar with Exodus.
I am pasting the map link again, this is OT 3 and if you look to the south east, you will see Midian, the home of Moses' wife and father-in-law.
http://net.bible.org/map.php?map=ot3
The revelation of the Name I AM also seemed to really fit in the context of the ending of Job. We just read four chapters where God reveals to Job all that He IS and that Job is not. Now we see it again with Moses.
Verse that struck me include Exodus 3:5 "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on Holy ground." This is actually part of my application lesson for today. When in the presence of God, show humility and reverence. We don't do that much any more. Most people don't even distinguish the "holy" places of the church building from the rest of it. Many church buildings are no longer built with the traditional alter, nave, choir set-up. For me, I want to put some "holiness" back into my worship;to be humble in the presence of God, to show reverence to who He is. Maybe that doesn't mean "alters, kneeling, bowing before the alter." Maybe it is a state of the heart. But I do think that visual stimulation to prepare the state of the heart is needed more than is currently present.
Familiar but new again, is Exodus 3:15
15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh,the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.
This is my eternal name,
my name to remember for all generations.
My eternal name to remember for ALL generations!
The meaning of Yahweh is unclear, but here are some definitions that I found.
1) It means I am the one, or I am what I am.
2) The most likely meaning of the name may be “He Brings Into Existence Whatever Exists,"
3) The Hebrew people knew the name as a sound but didn't know what it meant. It was an abiding Revelation of who God is and it was also a form of the Hebrew verb 'to be'. Exodus 3:13-15. The Hebrew verb 'to be' is the key to the meaning of Yahweh. But the word means more than just the fact that God exists. It speaks of God' self-existence, self-sufficiency and eternity but it also carries the meaning of 'to be or become a present reality'. It has the idea of God being our Redeemer.
I AM Who I Am, I Will Be What I Will Be!
Amen.
Dear Wendy,
Thankyou, those definitions are eye opening. Never fear, He is our sufficiency, always there - then, now and later-
Our lack will be made up by I AM.
How wonderful.
I loved seeing my families name on your prayer list. I will be praying for all.Knowing that my famiy is part of this is such a blessing.
Susanx
My goodness, we've made it through a month, and I'm here to promise ya'll it just keeps getting better!
Wendy, What a lesson to begin our week! He IS and we are NOT. He is more than we will ever need. All day long, He is with us!
My something old in a new way: Today, 4 little words just popped off the pages at me:
“But…(3:11)
“If…(3:13)
“But…(4:1)
“But…(4:10)
“But…(4:13)
I can just hear myself saying these very same words that Moses said to God. I’m going to call them, “Moses Moments!” “Why me God?” “I’m too busy…” Many times, just like Moses I am afraid to walk in faith. I love the promise God gives Moses: “I will be with you,” (3:11). Oh dear Girlfriends in God, (love this Jeanne!) we have this same promise! “I am with you always,” (Matthew 28:20) & “I will never abandon you.” (Hebrews 13:5). When we finally come to grips with this, and seek Him to show us the way…we truly begin to know Him more.
My something to do: To remember when I begin to have a “Moses Moment,” -no matter what He puts on my plate, He’s there to see me through. And, the good part-I have to cling to Him to do it, and as I do this, He can’t help but show himself through me. A shining light for others’ to see.
Enjoy HIM all day along! Blessings, Lori
Morning all! Monday's sure roll around quickly...
Here are my takeaways:
Old: The midwives "feared God". We now know that that is where true Wisdom comes from. And as we read further, because of their fear of God He blessed them.
New: Moses' name means: "I lifted him out of the water". It also means "saviour" in Hebrew.
Nugget: When God called to Moses from the burning bush Moses' first reply was "Here I am!" After he began to hear the details of his mission, Moses' enthusiasm began to wane. We hear alot of, "but, but" coming out of his mouth.
May God help me keep the attitude of "Here I am Lord!" Without questioning Him so much.
Morgen
Good Monday Ladies
Wendy that was really good - I am not! :)
I agree with Karen, kind of nice to be out of Job.
New and Different: The light bulb went on with the "Isrealites" being Jacob's (Israel's) decendants. Funny how you can know something, but it can do an extra thump in your spirit at times. It made today's reading come alive in a different way. I love how Gods word is always fresh and new. That's why you can't ever stop reading because He can and will give you new revelations.
My apply: Trust the "I AM"... if He says do it, trust that He will give me what I need to do it.
Have a great day everyone.
Lynn
Hello all and Happy Monday,
Old/New: I knew a bit about Moses, but NOT that he was 80 when God appeared to him from the Burning Bush.Message- we're never too old for an assignment from God.
New: The second and third miracles the Lord gave Moses to use. Message: Be persistent.
Take away: Be useful even when you're old...be brave...be patient...trust God to act in His own time.
Michelle
Hello all. I am commenting for the first time this morning. I started a bit late and have been playing catch-up during January. But I am loving this!
God gave my family a big call on our lives when he led us to begin adopting children from China. I was sooooooo like Moses, saying but-but-but. God stayed right there with me and talked me through it and also my husband. He gave us tangible signs to confirm that this was indeed what he was asking us to do. We went to China and adopted our Sydney, and are heading back to adopt our Abbey in May/June. She will be our sixth child! God is faithful, personal, patient, and all-powerful. He was the same way with Moses as he was with me! How I praise his name!!!!
Good morning girls!First,thanks for your prayers concerning my son and his basketball team as they traveled this weekend. Even with the ice that we received, they made it home safely--PTL!
It was sort of hard for me to transition from Job to Moses!I had never read Job with such an awareness before! I could just "hear" God speaking to him this past weekend! Wow!
I love the story of Moses!I thought it was interesting that Moses met his wife, Zipporah, at the well just as his great, greatgrandfather Jacob met Rachel at the well also!
Wendy, thank you for the word study on I AM...that was awesome.
Have a wonderful day!
Hugs!
Susan
Morning Girlfriends in God~
What GREAT teaching this morning Wendy! I took a page of notes today :)
My take aways today were much like Lori's. I noticed how often Moses said, "Who am I?" "What if..." "Moses pleaded." I love what she said about having Moses moments and how instead I need to trust in the I AM and remember that i am not. If He calls us to it He will equip us to do it.
I also wanted to share something out of Stormie Omartian's "Praying Through the Bible" that I am reading along with our NLT reading. For today's passages she talks about how God hears us when we cry out. She says that in the midst of situations that are dark and hopeless God does His greatest work. He is the God of miracles! Just like the Isrealites called out to Him for deliverance so can we in whatever slavery or trials we are going through. God did not answer them right away but He did answer in a way that would show His greatest glory and reveal to all who He was. It is the same for us. He may not answer us in our timing, but He hears and you can bet that in the darkest situations he does His greatest work! As we are storming heaven's gates for our spouses and families let's all remember that. The hardest of hearts can be changed through Him! Praise the Lord!
Have a very blessed day everyone!
Brandee, TN
PS I posted the first post today on "Standing in the Gap." I am really excited about what is going to do this year!
Susan, PTL everyone was safe!
I am not
Lori - loved the "Moses moments." We certainly have a lot of those, don't we?
There were a lot that stood out today.
1. Familiar but new: The timing of God's Providence. Just when the Pharaoh was at the height of his cruelty towards the Israelites, a deliverer was born. That just gave me the chills. God's timing is perfect. We should never run ahead of Him. In a way that is what Moses did when he killed the Egyptian taskmaster. He looked to the left & right but never up to see if that is what God wanted him to do.
2. Never knew: Jochabed, Moses' mom. How awesome is she? She had such great faith in God. She somehow knew that her son is destined for greatness. In the KJV Exodus 2:3 reads:
"And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river's brink."
The commentary I read said that is the only other use of the word "ark" in the bible. The other was in Genesis with Noah. She saved him by putting him in an ark. Look how God blessed her. She was able to raise her son and even got paid for it! It was also said that during this time, she must have really taught him about God, about faith and the promise of deliverance to his people. Otherwise, how else can he retain the love for his fellow Hebrews when he grew up in the palace and was educated at the best schools Egypt had to offer.
It also made me think about our time in the desert. God wanted to humble Moses. We see that with his protestations when God called him - "Who am I?" Had it been 40 years earlier, it would have been, "Here I am!"
3. My take away is Exodus 4:3 "Throw it down on the ground." I just love that. Offer what I have to God, obey Him God and see the miracles He can do with just a stick.
Have a blessed day, everyone.
Morning Girlfriends in God and our guy-friends too :)
My old but familiar: that Moses meets his future wife at a well. Just like Abraham's servant found Rebekah for Isaac at the well and Jacob found Rachel at the well.
My new: didn't realize that Pharaoh's daughter named Moses.
My to do: 1) All thru Moses' protests, God patiently answers Moses' questions and addresses his fears/excuses. He promises to be with him, give him the words to speak, and to instruct him. When God gives me an assignment I need to trust him and depend on him to thoroughly equip me for every good work. (led me back to Wendy's vlog on 1/29 and 2 Tim 3:16-17).
Karen, "holiness" spoke to me too and the need for us to remember who it is that we pray to and worship.... He is the I AM ...our constant, unchanging, always present God, creator and owner of everything and our "more than enough." PTL!
Have a blessed day!
Leslie
Happy Monday and Good Afternoon all!
It was hard for me to leave Job behind this morning and I must admit that I struggled a little starting Exodus. However, I was soon involved again with the descendants of Jacob. As the Israelite numbers continued to grow you can see the fear developing in Pharaoh. And like Pharoh, for the most part, we really don't like to get pushed out of our comfort zone. I know that I don't and I'll push against change as hard as I can.
My new was 3:2 the word "blazing" just jumped off the page at me. The fire must have been so intense yet Moses didn't back away he wanted to get closer. He's witnessing God's power and doesn't seem to be phased. Then when the Lord warned him to "take off your sandals for you are standing on holy ground" I felt like the earth might have shook.
Thanks Wendy for hearing the call and being brave enough to follow. I, for one, am changed.
As Wendy mentioned her struggle when she was called, I want to remember that God knows our hearts, and just as He heard the cries of the Israelites, He hears us and will rescue us from our oppressors.
Blessings,
Betty
I AM- so I don't have to be! What a glorious lesson today!
Thank you!
Good Afternoon,
Lori, I love your, Moses moments. I am in one now.
Grace & Peace, great insight to how Moses looked to the left & right but never up to see if that is what God wanted him to do. I need to look up & stop looking left & right for that is where my answer lies. In God & only God.
I am growing & learning so much from ALL of you! I thank the great I AM for you all!
1)heard in a new way; Exodus 4:10-17 Moses doesn't want to speak, he pushes God to have someone else do it. v16 'Aaron will be your spokesman to the people. He will be your mouthpiece, & you will stand in the place of God for him, telling him what to say.' God will give me what I need to complete His will.
2)did not know; Exodus 2:11-15 Moses went to Midian. The people of Midian are the descendants of Abraham's "other wife/concubine, Keturah' Genesis 25:1-4 & 1 Chronicles 1:32-33
Exodus 4:1-9 God gave 3 signs for Moses to show the people. I only thought there were 2. staff-snake, hand in robe-leprosy(did not know), water from the Nile-water turns to blood
3)nugget; Even in my I can't, but, if, but, Lord. Yahweh will find a way for me to do His will.
Enjoy the rest of your Monday.
Blessings & Peace,
Mary
Happy Monday,
Praise God for His Word!
Something old: I have always admired the courage of the midwives. They chose life, they feared and obeyed God, and because they saved babies, God honored and blessed them with their own babies!
Something new: I always knew that God said he heard the Israelites cries of distress, but never noticed that he also says he had been "watching closely". God not only hears us, he is watching closely! That is comforting to me.
To do: I love how the Lord allowed Moses to plead with Him, but then He says, "Who makes a person's mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? (Sounds like when God spoke to Job)"Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say".
I need to remember to speak when God tells me to and to remember that I have been given the the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit to help me know what to say!
God Bless,
Jennifer G.
I like that GIG...Girlfriends in God
Josephus says that Moses had been schooled with all the best technical, scientific and military training. Egypt was the greatest nation on earth at that time. He was well trained in organization and communication and was the head of Egypt's army. He was used to being in authority.
But he had to learn that he was too strong for God to use him. God doesn't want our strength...He wants our weakness. Hebrews 11:34 says "...out of weakness made strong." God wants us to NEED Him...do things in HIS strength, not ours.
I found something in one of my commentaries that showed all the contrasts in Moses life. Its pretty interesting.
~child of a slave...son of a queen
~lived in a hut...lived in the palace
~inherited poverty...had unlimited wealth
~leader of armies...keeper of flocks
~mightiest of warriors...meekest of men
~educated in court...dwelt in desert
~fitted for city...wandered in wilderness
~wisdom of Egypt...faith of a child
~tempted with sin...endured hardships of virtue
~backward in speech...talked with God
~rod of a shepherd...power of the Infinite
~fugitive from Pharoah... ambassador from heaven
~giver of law...forerunner of grace
~died on Mt. Moab...appeared with Christ in Judea
~no one assisted at his funeral...
God buried him
Moses was one awesome man. If only I could be like him 1/10 as much.
My take away...As a parent, and grandparent I need to remember that a child's basic attitudes are learned during his/her first 3 years of life. Have I done a good job in training my kids in the way of the Lord?
Moses mom must have really taught him well...he retained all her godly training the rest of his life. He never forgot. He knew God had promised that in the 4th generation He would deliver His people. Josephus says that tradition says that Amram had a dream that said Moses would be this deliverer.
We have so much more to learn about this godly man. It's going to be exciting to see what God is going to do with this man.
Jan TN
Thanks for another insightful lesson today, Wendy. I'm putting that book on my to read list. Hope everyone has a blessed week.
Wendy, thanks again for all the great insight into the scriptures this morning! You are such a blessing, sister!
Exodus 1:8 I am so glad our King didn't forget about us or that He never heard about it. Instead, He died so that He might live forus! PTL!
Exodus 3:12 I still have a hard time with this sometimes. But, if God has asked us to go somewhere, or to do something, isn't He with us? Ex. 4:10 reminds me that, whether directly spoken or by my actions, I allow fear to hold me back from things God is calling me to do. Whether its speaking out boldly, or just being there for someone else.
May God spark the revelation in my that if He has called, to listen and follow. No. Matter. What.
Jan, I love your list! Where does it say that Moses appeared with Jesus in Judea? I remember reading that part but can't find it ... I'd love to read it again.
Mary, I knew Midian sounded familiar but didn't get the connection to Abraham's other children. So Moses married a descendant of Abraham!
2. Ex. 2:12 I didn't realize that Moses killed the Egyptian on purpose. I always thought it was an accident!
Brandee, I love your snow pictures! They're beautiful. I've been sick this weekend and unable to go out, and it was so nice to see those amazing images of what God can do. I like the other blog, too, and linked to it from our Bible study blog. Thanks so much for taking that on!
3. Ex. 4:10-14 Moses protested an awful lot until finally God got angry with him. I'm like that - I feel unworthy and try to 'turn down' assignments, yet when does God make mistakes?? If He sends us out to do something, He'll make sure it will happen - all we need to do is be willing.
Have a great Monday, everyone!
Amy
I was actually happy to leave Job behind and get back into a storyline that I am more familiar with. I teach school and read many Bible stories to my class, but the story of Job is not in the Children's Bible that I read to my kiddos, so I feel much more familiar w/ the Exodus story.
What struck me today was how God dealt w/ Moses in all of his "but, but, what if, what if" moments. I, too, am full of those. I am somewhat perplexed, though, by God's final allowance of Aaron to speak instead of Moses. God was so patient with Moses, saying all kinds of reassuring things, and finally "the Lord became angry with Moses." What did that really look like? PTL it seems that God's anger was not like his anger in other situations. He mercifully allowed Moses' brother to help out. I often remind myself that God will not give me more than I can handle (don't remember the reference). This story reminds me of that. Have a great rest of your week, Ladies. Hoping for another snow day tomorrow, but I think we'll be back to school...
Kate
Good evening all! God really spoke to me today! I was familiar with the story of Moses but did not realize when he spoke to him from the burning bush was when he called him to lead the Israelites. I also loved the part about God telling Moses "Who makes a person's mouth?" Wendy how perfect this was for me. You asked if I had had any scripture confirmation about my teaching and this is it!! I taught Sunday school and women's Bible studies for 14 years then we moved to another church and I have been sitting on the bench. I started taking classes last year because I felt that I was being called to teach - well I was but not education. God revealed to me at the first of the year He wanted me to teach again but His Word instead. So I stopped taking classes and have had several confirmations I was doing right but today this scripture was the icing on the cake! I have been asked to teach a Bible study on Revelation - of all things?!?! What do I know about this book? God I cannot do this! Let one of the other ladies do it. Well God reminded me here He is my mouth and will be with me as I speak and will instruct me what to say! How awesome is that!! HE will lead me and HE will give me the words to say -- HE not me will lead this study!! My to do is Trust God to be my mouth and place His words within me that He wants me to say. Wendy I enjoyed being with I AM today!!
Amy, that reference where Moses appeared with Jesus is Mark 9:2-4, where Jesus was transfigured, and Moses and Elias appeared with Him.
Don't know what I would do w/o my Strong's Concordance. I had to look it up, too. :)
Jan TN
Some of this might seem late, but I was unable to write before.
I loved being in Job for the first time ever. I saw so much of myself in Job. Job didn't see his sinfulness and neither did I. This is what I think God showed me.
One thing that stood out was from the night I accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior (many years ago). I was going to a bible study and they kept talking about "sin". I kept thinking, 'I've never killed anyone, I've not stolen, I've not been mean, I've not ... I've not...'. Then after my husband went to work (night shift) I sat on our bed to pray. I asked God to show me what all this is about. Then I went to sleep. God gave me dreams of times that I had sinned throughout my whole life. It was all flashing before my eyes. When I got up that morning I repented big time! My husband came home and I shared with him the good news! He was not saved, but he listened. He came to know the Lord within two months also. As I write this I wonder if this all makes sense.
Well, anyhow ...
I'm loving Moses too. I never realized how much he disbuted what God wanted to do. And then in God's grace he let Aaron go with him. I loved what Wendy said about God being the "I am" and "I am not". How huge! Also, Wendy, thanks for calling out all the examples of God's "I am" and also listing the "I am nots" - just by doing that I could then really relate to my own life. That gives me such peace in knowing "I" don't have to. God will make me able to do all that He's called me to. I love that!
joan
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