Exodus 15-17 today... Exodus 18-20 tomorrow...

Chapter 15: first thing they do is praise God... good to follow this in our lives.
verse 9-10... what great takes might from man only takes a breath from God.
verse 13... God will lead us, so just stay in His lead, do not try to run ahead because a leader can't lead if we don't let them (see also Psalm 27:14)
verse 14-16... because they have seen what God can do they now look ahead to what they want Him to do... also, they have faith He can and will fulfill the rest of His promise completely.... the part, "until the people YOU brought", reminds me that it is God who gives us our victories and leads us out of "slavery" and into the next part of our lives, so if it is God who leads us there, then He will also be with us throughout it as He is leading us into the next thing... like the saying "If God brings us to it, He will lead us through it."
Study Notes talk about how we should use our creativity to praise God... a great book that I found for praying and praising with art (actually I was turned on to it by a friend of ours who did it for us)... the name of the book is "Praying in Color" and they have one for kids, too, it is by Sybil MacBeth.
verse 22-24... it only took 3 days for the praise to turn to grumbles because they took their eyes off the eternal and put them on the temporary (see 2 Corinthians 4:8-9,18)
verse 25... didn't remember hearing this story ever before... God proves Himself over and over on the same basic things... if I think over my life, I have the same hangups that I grumble over each time,too... how do we break away from repeating these so much? or even ever again?
verse 26 made me smile because God is like "stop whining or I'll give you what the Egytians got", and it made me think about the times when my kids are whining about stuff for the millionth time and I say the same basic thing, "stop and I won't punish you", "obey and you'll live" :)... what was Bill Cosby's famous comedy line? "I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it", "I made you and I can make another just like you"... or something like that. :)

Chapter 16: ok, the "Desert of Sin", wow! what a name!... now in introspection, do I have a place in my life with this name? Am I camped there, or have I set out away from it? If not, how can I pack up and leave starting right now?
The next part about manna and quail made me think of a few things... first, in verse 3, the Isrealites whine about not having meat, and not having all the food they wanted... so, God gives them exactly what they were wanting: quail=meat, and manna=all the food they wanted (verse 12, 16)... God listens intently to our desires and our needs. Also, God has unlimited patience and love, but why grumble? If He lovingly gives you what you need when you grumble, and even when you don't even mention it, won't He give you what you need when you respect Him enough to ask Him politely and humbly in prayer and thankfulness? Just a thought.
verse 8... when we sin it is ultimately always against God... also, we should be careful not to take our stress out on others who are just doing what God has assigned for them to do (this can be explored on so many levels)
verse 4,20... God supplied enough for that day, yet even though God had proven Himself trustworthy, not everyone trusted that He would supply their need in the future, too... I know I am guilty of this, and just like when the manna got maggoty, the things I try to store up as treasure on earth wears out and falls apart and becomes no good for me anymore, too (see Matthew 6:19-21)... my love and trust can only grow when I obediently act upon what God has already given me so I can take the next step and see Him provide even more... when I try to supply for myself, I am cheating myself out of the blessings God wants to give/show me.
Another thought on manna... it is just like us reading God's Word everyday... if we think of the "bread of life" as we do the bread we eat, then, with that perspective let's answer a couple of questions? Is it necessary? Is it boring? Is it just the same-old same-old? If we had to eat the same thing every day to stay alive, how would be view it? As a blessing or as a frustration? How do we view our daily dose of "manna" when we read the Bible? Anyway, I know I need to work on my perspective of it sometimes, and be thankful that God has allowed me to be "fed" everyday, so I can "stay alive" and "healthy".
verse 26-27... I thought it was interesting that God instituted the Sabboth prior to the 10 Commandments... and then I thought about the other 9 commandments and realized that God probably has already set some of these other laws in place, too... certainly "do not kill", that was back in Genesis toward the beginning (somewhere shortly after Cain killed Abel, I think)... so, maybe, although this is jumping ahead a little, sorry... maybe the 10 Commandments weren't a set of new laws or something like I always thought, but just a compiling of existing things that the people needed reminding of, and it was put all in one place so they could see it and remember it easier... kind of like how I put the verses I need to work on on my mirror or something... I don't know, just a thought.... like the verse, "Thy Word I will hide in my heart so I will not sin against You" (Psalm 119:11, and Deuteronomy 11:18)
verse 29... I like how God says that He has given them everything they need so that they can rest on the Sabbath... so often I feel guilty for taking a rest, yet God is saying that He gives us rest as a blessing... but we have to be willing to accept the blessing, and not go looking for "work" to do (like in verse 27)... the Study Notes suggest that one point of the Sabbath for us might be to learn that nothing is lost by observing a day of rest... I think that is something I need to accept... the world will not end if I choose to rest for a day... and it might just do me and everyone else some good. :)
verse 31... like that manna means "what is it"... I think I have made "manna" for dinner before. haha :)
verse 34... is the "Testimony" the elders? the alter? the???

Chapter 17: see Psalm 95 and Hebrews 3:7-11,15 for other tie-ins/commentary concerning this event. Also, there is another water/rock episode in Numbers 20... that is apparently the one I had heard of, where Moses does not obey God completely... in this one here in Exodus, Moses does obey God's instructions and does give glory to God.
verse 2 made me think, "for goodness sake, come up with something new to whine about already!", but I have to admit that I do the same thing, as I already confessed earlier... I am so thankful for God's immense patience... this really is a comfort to me, because so often I find myself thinking that I must be annoying God to death and wonder if He is just about ready to "cut me off", but throughout Moses's story and that of the Exodus, God has been infinately patient and so although it is not my goal to be whiny and annoying, I am thankful for the confirmation that God does have the patience to work with me as I am trying to grow in Him.... also, this verse made me think about how we must be careful not to put our physical needs ahead of spiritual instructions and truths.
verse 4... "What am I to do with these people"...I have asked God this same question in regards to my kids some days, and I am sure our kids have asked God this in regards to their parents some days, too. :)
verse 7... God does tell us to test and try His Word to prove its truth and validity, but it seems to really upset God when we keep trying and testing even after we have already been assured of who He is.
verse 8 and 10... who are Joshua and Hur?... the other named characters seem to have lineage given in association with their names when they are given important parts in the stories, but Joshua and Hur are just thrown in... are they just some Isrealites? I'm kind of asking because I thought I remembered hearing that Joshua was maybe a Canaanite or something? Maybe they were part of the "others" that came out of Egypt with the Isrealites (Exodus 12:38)? Any ideas about the history, theology, or even importance of this?
I love verses 10-13! Great teamwork, and proof that we can't do God's work alone! :)... is this why we lift our hands to God when we worship Him (verse 16), or did this practice come from somewhere else?

Ok, have a great night, and good reading!
Much Love,
sandJ