Exodus

Book Of Exodus

Summary: The burden of Egypt was heavy on their shoulder. Almost four hundred years of slavery and   abuse while crying out. Then it happened God moved and Moses was born. From their the book of Exodus becomes a great read: a murder happens, then a meeting between man and God, then a battle between God's representative and magicians, an ocean parting with dry land under foot, an army defeated drowned, a people going free and the plans for a tabernacle.  

Things I Noticed:

1. I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue. (Moses was both the greatest public speaker.)
2. Then the Lord said to Moses "Who had made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind. Is it not I, Lord?
3. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, "Thus says the Lord, Israel is my first born son, and I say to you, "Let my son go that he may serve me." If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your first born son.'"
4. Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.
5. The Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.
6. The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but could not. (The scientist of their time failed but also believed in a higher power.)
7. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh "This is the finger of God."
8. So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. (No Starlight how would science explain it?)
9. I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast.
10. The people of Israel lived in Egypt 430 years.
11. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him.
12. The people of the sea went into the midst of the sea on dry ground.
13. When the dew of the land had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on on the ground. (Almost like flour? Or potato buds?)
14. Visiting the inequity of the Fathers to the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
15. And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.
16. Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.
17. Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.
18. You shall not permit a sorceress to live.
19. You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
20. Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.
21. Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.
22. They beheld God, ate and drank
23. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution.
24. In the breastpiece of judgment you shall put Urim and the Thummin.
25. You shall make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked flesh. They shall reach from hips to the thighs. (God created underwear.)
26. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship.
27. Let anyone who have gold take it off. So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf. (The Gold turned into a idol without a mold or coating a statue.)
28. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. (What so awesome.)
29. You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim (for you shall worship no other god, for the Lord whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.)
30. Every craftsman in whom The Lord has put the skill and intelligence to know how to do any work in the construction.


I have been laid over in Corinth recouping from not being well. While here I have been I have been convinced by the brethren to read into Leviticus. Timothy been by my side talk to me of the letter Paul wrote encouraging my recovery. Life is a wondrous journey which God teaches me so much through his other children and his word. Now to go spend some time with God before more rest. Until
next time. Till then, Read up, Post up, and Shalom.

Romans

Book Of Romans

Summary: The heart beat of the Empire. The seat of government and now the Vatican. Rome a place of man stories, tragedies and the foundation for modern thought. Paul's letter address both Hellenistic and Jewish thought towards the believers of the church in this mighty city. With tones of correction and those of edification Paul's makes a clarifying arguments on faith, practice and belief. Take a look with me.

Things I Noticed:

1. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.
2. The righteous shall live by faith.
3. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. (Take a look at an orange some time. Peel it and stare in wonder at the packaging that goes back to the beginning of the cosmos. Yep perfect individual slices of Orange wrapped in a skin to keep it from dirt.)
4. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. (Movie Stars and Pets and Sports Teams and Stuff.)
5. God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.
6. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
7. We have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand.
8. Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!
9. So you must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
10. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.
11. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.
12. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
13. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
14. Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words (Prayer Tongues)
15. If God is for us, who can be against us.
16. So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
17. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
18. If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
19. So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ.
20. I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! (Yep the Jewish people are still the apple of his eye.)
21. For the gifts and callings of God are irrevocable. (No one can steal the or tack them or lose them.)
22. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
23. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
24. Let love be genuine
25. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
26. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve The Lord.
27. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.
28. Repay no evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
29. Beloved never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good.
30. Pay to all what is owed to them; taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respected is owed, and honor to whom honor is owed.
31. Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.  (We really need to teach this one in church.)
32. As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. (This is ignored a great deal. I am just as guilty but I have made progress.)
33. If we live, to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
35. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
36. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.


Finished delivering my first letter to Rome, I am now off to Corinth. Nothing better the delivering encouragement to the saints. Barnabas has met up with Luke and I. The discussion on our journey has moved into the tabernacle, which, is great since I am still reading Exodus. Well more next time. Till then, Read up, Post up, and Shalom.

Acts

Book Of Acts

Summary: With Jesus gone what happened to the apostles? Who replaced Judas? Why as Gentiles do we not have to follow all the Jewish traditions and laws too? The Physician Luke after penning his historical account of Jesus wrote Acts to answer these question. The book is broken in two parts. The first is following the apostles and the second is Luke's account of following Paul around. Take a look at what I saw.


Things I Noticed:

1. Two men stood in white robes
2. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to praying together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
3. they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. (God giving perfect translation to all ears.)
4. And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" But others mocking said, "They are filled with new wine."
5. Awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through apostles.
6. "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" And he took him by the right hand raised him up.(Faith shown in action as Peter pulled the man up.)
7. The Author of Life
8. And his name-by faith in his name-has made this man strong whom you see
9. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are preformed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.
10. We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree.
11. for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God.
12. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the word.
13. Now an angel of The Lord said to Philip.
14. The Spirit of The Lord carried Phillip away. (Teleport, traveling whatever you call it God moves him incredible distances without a car.)
15. And for three days he was without sight and neither ate not drank.
16. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.
17. "Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God."
18. He fell into a trance. (Yep it's in here and Peter is the one who is experiencing it.)
19. A man stood before me in bright clothes.
20. If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way.
21. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christian.

22. Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world.
23. So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. (Prophecy brought charity and righteousness.)
24. They came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus.
25. Elymas the magician opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith.
26. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city supposing that he was dead.
27. They had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting hey committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
28. By giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their heart by faith.
29. Should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
30. And the arose a sharp disagreement (Yes it happens)
31. having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
32. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night:
33. Few of the leading women.
34. (I am partial to this verse because Jason was accused) "These men who have turned the world upside down..."
35. fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
36. For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.
37. Felix, having a rather accurate knowledge of the Way.
38. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God whom I belong and whom I worship


Paul has been imprisoned so now I am hoofing it with his letters to some churches, the first one in Rome. I am now part of the ancient postal service delivering words to the saints. Luke is with me and we continue on our discussion of Exodus and how Moses is a foreshadow of the messiahship of Jesus. I have to go we are about to set up camp for the night. Till then, Read up, Post up, and Shalom.

Genesis

Book Of Genesis

Summary:  Our beginning it starts as a symphony of creation. Genesis tells the story of this song and if matched up to science the poem that is Genesis matches. There are many argument over time and evolution but putting that all aside and enjoying the mystery of creation and the meaning of the Hebrew words will delight you mind to even greater mysteries of God and his love. From Adam and Eve to Joseph this is the story of the forefathers of faith. Filled with mighty men, a flood, Pharaohs, kings, battles, injustice and reconciliation we get a raw look at men, faith, their mistakes and God mercy despite our bad decisions. Genesis is more then the beginning it is the a grand adventure.  

Things I Noticed:

1. Spirit of the God was hovering over the waters.
2. The God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness."
3. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
4. But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.
5. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will like God, knowing good and evil.
6. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
7. The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. (Angels making babies with women)
8. And God made the wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.
9. The intention of man's heart is evil from his youth.
10. I have set my bow over the cloud, and it shall be a sign of covenant between me and you. (A rainbow is God's very own bow.)
11. Cush fathered Nimrod; he was the first on earth to be a mighty man. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord... The beginning of his kingdom was Babel.
12. Nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. (When man put his mind to it nothing is impossible. God made us Limitless.)
13. They went forth together from Ur of the hardens to go into the Land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. (Terah Abram's father stopped early of the promise.)
14. I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you. (A promise of Saul, David and Solomon. Ultimately Jesus the King of Kings.)
15. Abraham took Ishmael his son... and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him.
16. Before I finished speaking in my heart. (Silent prayer)
17. Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. (After Sarah died he remarried)
18. Jacob was a quiet man.
19. Esau despised his birthright.
20. This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven.
21. Name of that place Bethel.
22. Rachel stole her father's household gods. (This was a sign of land rights and inheritance in those times)
23. "I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiple"
24.  He poured out a drink offering on it and poured oil on it.
25. Judah is a Lion cub.
26. Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey and at evening dividing the spoils.
27. Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embaled Israel. (Israel was mummified think on that and its implications.)
28. As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.
29. Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. (They also mummified Joseph.)

Meeting Paul and seeing Peter give great testimony to Jesus has been incredible. I have even meet a man of my name who was accused of turning the world upside down. Still the Journey of the acts of the Church continues. Luke and I have moved to also discussing Exodus and the grand miracles the God showed his people long ago. It is also the book the foreshadows Jesus triumph over the ruler of this world. Anyway there will be more on these things later. Till then, Read up, Post up, and Shalom.