In the first four chapters of Exodus, there are 67 verses that relate to one of the ten categories of the Cycle. It is striking that two-thirds of them relate information about God’s unity in preparing his children for deliverance from nearly four hundred years of harsh slavery in Egypt and his commandments telling them how he is going to pull it off.
Even though their slavery resulted directly from their disobedience in earlier times, God never stops loving his children intensely and achingly longs for them to repent so that he can restore them. Often, they do not repent so much as God cannot stand the punishment any longer and says, “That is enough.” Does he also think to himself, “Surely this time they will get it?”
When Pharaoh decides the Israelites have become too numerous and are a threat to him, he decides to kill all male babies. But the Hebrew midwives foil his plan because they fear God more than Pharaoh – this is unity with God!
Moses is born and should be killed, but he is hidden in a basket by his mother, desperately trying to save him. God arranges a wonderful series of events resulting in Moses’s mother being paid to nurse her own son and then Moses going to live in Pharaoh’s house, but not before he is old enough to be fully aware of the glory of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Moses cares about his fellow Hebrews and even kills an Egyptian who is abusing slaves. He then must flee for his life, but God protects him in many ways, appears to him, and calls him to return to Egypt to deliver his people out of Egypt. God gives Moses specific commands regarding what he should do and say.
But Moses is filled with self-doubt. This is a surprising insight into how the Cycle can creep up on us without realizing it. Our doubt is as evil as temptation from God’s perspective, who becomes angry when Moses defies him, asking him to send someone else! In this way, Moses chooses to become dis-unified with God. He is then warned when God becomes angry, and ultimately judged, leading to his brother Aaron becoming the head of the tribe of Levi.
But God’s love never fails, and God works with Moses’s weaknesses, teaming him with Aaron to prepare Israel for deliverance from Egypt. In this is submission and repentance on the part of Moses, and he is restored by God, despite his human failures, to pursue this mighty act of God’s salvation and never-ending love.
The Cycle teaches us that unity with God means seeing his presence in all we do and doing what he tells us regardless of our limitations – because he is I AM, and that is enough!
Hurry back for the next Cycle in Exodus!
Even though their slavery resulted directly from their disobedience in earlier times, God never stops loving his children intensely and achingly longs for them to repent so that he can restore them. Often, they do not repent so much as God cannot stand the punishment any longer and says, “That is enough.” Does he also think to himself, “Surely this time they will get it?”
When Pharaoh decides the Israelites have become too numerous and are a threat to him, he decides to kill all male babies. But the Hebrew midwives foil his plan because they fear God more than Pharaoh – this is unity with God!
Moses is born and should be killed, but he is hidden in a basket by his mother, desperately trying to save him. God arranges a wonderful series of events resulting in Moses’s mother being paid to nurse her own son and then Moses going to live in Pharaoh’s house, but not before he is old enough to be fully aware of the glory of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Moses cares about his fellow Hebrews and even kills an Egyptian who is abusing slaves. He then must flee for his life, but God protects him in many ways, appears to him, and calls him to return to Egypt to deliver his people out of Egypt. God gives Moses specific commands regarding what he should do and say.
But Moses is filled with self-doubt. This is a surprising insight into how the Cycle can creep up on us without realizing it. Our doubt is as evil as temptation from God’s perspective, who becomes angry when Moses defies him, asking him to send someone else! In this way, Moses chooses to become dis-unified with God. He is then warned when God becomes angry, and ultimately judged, leading to his brother Aaron becoming the head of the tribe of Levi.
But God’s love never fails, and God works with Moses’s weaknesses, teaming him with Aaron to prepare Israel for deliverance from Egypt. In this is submission and repentance on the part of Moses, and he is restored by God, despite his human failures, to pursue this mighty act of God’s salvation and never-ending love.
The Cycle teaches us that unity with God means seeing his presence in all we do and doing what he tells us regardless of our limitations – because he is I AM, and that is enough!
Hurry back for the next Cycle in Exodus!
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