Yet To Be Titled

CHAPTER 8 - UNFILTERED SUNLIGHT

At the end of Genesis there is a single family small enough to name all the sons and their settling into the haven of Egypt. Exodus begins with a swarm of Israelites toiling as slaves under a hostile pharaoh. Four Hundred years with no written history. That's not unlike Richard's story or our own for that fact. Everything is bright and shining one day and then disappointment comes through some unforseen circumsatnce or some seemingly unfulfilled desire and almost like the changing of the guard relationship with God and many times with those closest to us is now filled with doubt or at a minimum questions that drive us to places we never thought possible. Philip asks, "could it be that some of our feelings of disappointment stem from a habit of skipping over times of silence in favor of the stories of victory?" Good question. Four hundred years, twice as long as the USA has been in existence, the Hebrews serving as slaves and not one thing written in the Bible?

Four hundred years and then God shows Himself in a burning bush to one single man, Moses. Not only did He show Himself but He spoke aloud, "My people have suffered enough." "Now you will see what I will do." And with that said, He looses His divine power for all to see. Ten times in a massive display that not one person would miss seeing. Frogs, gnats, flies, hailstones, and locusts showed all creation proof of the Lord of all creation. But love does not operate according to the rules of power. SELAH (pause and think on that) Perhaps that may be one reason why God seems shy to use His power.

The following is a sort of diary of God and His relationship with Israel.

On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths. No one looked on you with pity or had compassion enough to do any of these things for you. Rather, you were thrown out into the open field, for on the day you were born you were despised. "Then I passed by and saw you kicking about in your blood, and as you lay there in your blood I said to you, "Live!" I made you grow like a plant of the field. You grew up and developed and became the most beautiful of jewels. Your breasts were formed and your hair grew, you who were naked and bare.
"Later I passed by, and when I looked at you and saw that you were old enough for love, I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness. I gave you my solemn oath and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Sovereign LORD, and you became mine. "I bathed you with water and washed the blood from you and put ointments on you. 10 I clothed you with an embroidered dress and put leather sandals on you. I dressed you in fine linen and covered you with costly garments. I adorned you with jewelry: I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck, and I put a ring on your nose, earrings on your ears and a beautiful crown on your head. So you were adorned with gold and silver; your clothes were of fine linen and costly fabric and embroidered cloth. Your food was fine flour, honey and olive oil. You became very beautiful and rose to be a queen. And your fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign LORD.

And yet He knew what they would do: "I know what they are disposed to do, even before I bring them into the land." He so desired things to work out differently: "Oh that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all My commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever." But that was not the case.

The Israelites with few exceptions seemed to always be disappointed with God. Manna every day for forty years could get a little old? "We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost - also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite." Listen to what kind of relationship with God the Israelites had. "We will die! We are lost, we are all lost! Anyone who even comes near the tabernacle of the Lord will die." "Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our God nor see this great fire anymore, or we will die." Doesn't sound like any love relationship that I'm familiar with? Out of the thousands who gladly fled Egypt only two entered the promised land. It seems as though the closer God drew towards the Israelites the more distant they felt from Him. I have felt that way as well. Being in the prayer center for an uncountable number of hours each week where I can seemingly get close to God, is often difficult because He seems... further away. What is it, that makes me feel that way?

Chapter 8 ends with "Who can dwell with the consuming fire?" asked the prophet Isaiah. Is it possible that we should be grateful for God's hiddenness, rather than disappointed?