Exodus 9

Pharoah was a liar. There's no way around it. As long as he was being punished, he was willilling to promise anything. As soon as it was over, though, he went back on his word.

But how are we any different? When times are hard, we cry out to God. When thiings get better, we forget about him.

People never change.

Exodus 8

The interesting thing to me is that the Bible doesn't say that Israel was spared the plagues until the fourth. As far as I know, they suffered blood, frogs, and gnats.

Don't think gnats area plague? Obviously you've never been to Pea Ridge, Alabama.

Baptized in vinegar

Two things I've often heard are,"Some Christians are unpleasant," and "You don't have to be a Christian to be nice".

Both are true, Some Christians are just mean, and you can certainly be nice without being a Christian. I can think of several examples of each. These would be valid objections if being nice got you into Heaven.

In reality, both observations are sides of the same coin. Why are so many Chrians such jerks? I like C. S. Lewis' answer, which is basically that you don't know how bad they'd be without Jesus. I was blessed with a naturally laid-back disposition, but I understand that some people's default is anxious or angry. 

Think about that next time you're approached by someone who looks like he was baptized in vinegar.

Exodus 7

Moses wasn't the one who spoke to Pharoah.

If you're like me, you've been influenced quite-a bit by The Ten Commandments. You have stuck in your head Charlton Heston saying, "Let my people go!" with Aaron as at best a tagalong until God let him be high priest.

But that's not what the Bible says. Moses heard from God, but Aaron talked for him. The first miracle was done through Aaron, not Moses. Moses deserves the respect he gets, but let's have a little respect for Aaron, too.

Exodus 6

In a time when long life was considered a reward for faithfulness,Amram lived to be older than Moses.

Who was Amram? I guess you'd better read the chapter.

It's s a good thing I didn't become a Christian to make my life better ...

... 'cause I'd be screwed.

Ray Comfort tells a story about two men on a plane. The first man is told to put on a parachute because it would improve the flight. After a little while, he finds it uncomfortable and unwieldy, and sees the other passengers laughing at him. He throws off the parachute, because it did not, in fact, improve the flight.

The second man is told to put the parachute on because at any moment he'll be pushed out 30000 feet up. No matter how uncomfortable he gets, or who makes fun of him, he'll not only keep his parachute on, he'll beg others to put them on too.

I don't follow Jesus Christ because it makes life easier, even though around here professing him does. I do it because I'm going to die one day, probably sooner than I think, and then Christ will be my only hope. He never promised to make life better, He promised to make death better.

Review: THE GOSPEL'S POWER AND MESSAGE by Paul Washer

Paul Washer is my favorite preacher to listen to, hands down. His delivery isn't what we were taught in school, but his sermons are steeped in the Bible.

This book is very similar; it seems to be a collection of sermons, edited into a book. The focus is tight upon the Gospel: what it is and how it presented. It seems clear that Washer is infatuated with, almost drunk on, the Gospel of Jesus Christ; he is a Calvinist, but foremost aan evangelist. 

This isn't light reading by any means, but well worth  going through.

Exodus 5

It's important to remember that in the beginning all Moses asked was to worship.

Worship is the absolute least we owe God. It's the first tthing his people should do, it I is not a slow song. It isn't a particular hour on Sunday morning. It's finding out that God is bigger and more important than you and surrendering to him.

Exodus 4

Zipporah was the scariest woman in scripture.

Think about it. She was ready, willing, and able to circumcise her son. Alone. In the desert. With a rock.

That's hardcore. I don't care who you  are.

Exodus 3

This chapter is the beginning of the call of Moses. What's even more important than that, though,is the revelation of God's name.

This is a big deal. Even now, when we're so cavalier about giving out our names, we're reserved, always holding something of ourselves back. Not God. 

After all, he have his son. What's a name?

I'm pretty sure your wife has never composed a haiku about Jesse Jackson

Since I can't top that title,I'll just type the haiku:

'It's not okay to 

be racist, unless you're black,"

says Jesse Jackdson.

Behold the wonder that is my life

Exodus 2

There are two main points I'd like to make from this chapter. The first is that God doesn't care about the same things we do. The second is that even after several hundred years of silence, Moses'mother trusted God.

I'm sure we'd all like to know more about Moses' formative years, but we don't get it from the Bible. In fact, this chapter covers about 80 years of his life. The remaining 40 years or so take up nearly four books of the Bible. The next few minutes have two chapters to themselves. The Bible records what God thinks is important, not us.

What's really amazing is that Moses' mother had such faith when, as far as we know, God hadn't spoken in centuries. Her child would definitely die if the Egyptians found him; he'd probably die if she trusted God. It was a bad choice either way. 

She still chose to entrust him to God.

Legalism and obedience

Since I have so many rules, some might wonder if I'm being legalistic rather than obedient. It's a reasonable question, and one I've thought about a lot. I'll try to explain the difference,

Legalism is basically trying to save yourself. It's thinking that you you can keep enough rules to get to Heaven. It's believing that you can be good enough that God has to save you from Hell. Legalism is opposed to Christianity. In short, it's bad.

Obedience, on the other hand, is just being thankful. It's acknowledging that God already did everything, and you just want to do as he says. Obedience cuts against ourmodern habit of questionining everything, but in fact, obedience to God and his Word is Christianity. It is, some would say, good.

I try to  be obedient, not legalistic. Please tell me if I'm doing it wrongly.

Review: "The Case ofCharles Dexter Ward" by H. P. Lovecraft

Rather than the pseudoscientific "At the Mountains of Madness", "The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" is a pure horror story. It's also the best of Lovecraft's three novellas, in my opinion.

Lovecraft was good at wiring this sort of thing, and clearly loved New England. When's those two traits combined. As in this story, even his oen long-windedness can't keep him from being a great writer.