Last night, I stayed up until 1 am watching "Bait Car" with Loni. Was not very tired. So finally I went to bed and played "Angry Birds" on my iphone 4. (Ha ha, I got an iphone 4 for my birthday.) At 5 am sharp, I woke up, thankfully, after a horrible dream. I'd call it a nightmare, except the voice of the Lord came to me and cautioned me. Still, I was shaken by it. He shows me my weaknesses, since I asked about it. Just last night, in our family prayers, I had asked for it.
Since everyone knows we are going to Elko, I won't make the big announcement I was going to make in my blog. Anti-climactic, I guess. I have to go to Seattle the week before for an international weather conference, in which I'm presenting a paper. Little ol' me, speaking before hundreds of meteorologists and hydrologists from around the county, continent, and world. Am I scared? Nervous? Yes. About speaking to science geeks? Yes and no. I'll crack a few jokes along the way, make unusual faces and have them eating out of my hand. I'm just hoping they don't ask any actual science questions. Because when I don't know the answer and have to kill and eat the guy right in front of everyone, hilarity might not ensue.
The day after I get back, it's off to Elko.
We read in Exodus 4 last night. So many things strike me there. So many. This might be long and I don't expect anyone to read past this point. Perhaps it's all for me, just to write it down. Just warning you.
Moses sees the burning bush and then sees the Lord face to face. He hears the voice of the Lord. The Lord give him a command to go get Israel out of bondage in Egypt. Moses fears to do so, because he has a severe speech impediment. Even though he's one tough dude, a hard worker, his wife, sons, and in-laws think the world of him, he's still scared to do this task. Admittedly, it's a huge task. He has to be thinking that there is a death warrant out for him back home. He did kill an Egyptian and even some of the Hebrews were after him about it.
Verse 1: I'm supposed to tell them that God appeared to me and told me these things? They aren't going to believe that.
Verses 2-9: Christ is in these verses, three times. First, as a rod turned into a snake. The Stem of Jesse, the serpent. Say what you like about the serpent in the Garden of Eden. The serpent motif appears again and again in relationship to Christ.
Then the Lord (Jehovah or Christ) turns Moses' hand leprous and then healthy again. Christ was mortal, then died (became corrupt), and then resurrected the third day, restored to his perfect frame. So did Moses' hand.
The Lord told Moses to take the water of the holy river Nile and pour it on the land and it would become blood in the sight of all. Christ's side was pierced and water and blood flowed forth and spilt on the ground in sight of all.
He explained to Moses that, even if people did not believe the first two signs, as people often don't believe in signs or miracles, they would believe the third one. People will not believe the restoration of the gospel, they won't believe that God has revealed himself to man again in Joseph Smith, a type of Moses, but in the end they will believe that Jesus is the Christ when his blood (atonement, resurrection, glorified self) is thrust into their view at his coming.
Verse 10: Moses' speech problem was still bothering him. In fact, it was shutting him down. His fear of his physical weakness was stopping his service to God and his fellow man. He was allowing it to incapacitate him. "Oh, my Lord. I have never been eloquent my whole life. And not even since I got this calling from you. I'm still a horrible speaker and talker."
See? Just because we get a calling from God, does not mean will be suddenly be rid of all our weaknesses. He expects us to work through them.
Verses 11-12: The Lord reminds Moses that HE is the creator of all things and has control of our capacities. HE will be with Moses and control his mouth and his words. He will even control his mind so he learns from all this.
Verse 13: Oh, please, God. Send someone else.
Verse 14-17: How would you like to have God actually angry at you? Do we not sometimes make him angry by our non-stop whining? By our finding excuses for not completing or even trying new things or assignments or his commandments? By not doing things out of our comfort zones, like going to church, taking the sacrament, doing our home and visiting teaching, reading the scriptures, praying, bearing our testimonies, etc?
The Lord reminds Moses that Aaron, his big brother, is a Levite, a special tribe, and that he is right this minute coming to see Moses, because he loves Moses in his heart and will be glad to see him. "Moses, your family loves you. Aaron, your brother who adore, is a great speaker and I'll have him say your words. I will put words into your mouth, and you put those words into Aaron's mouth. I will bless both of you and teach you what to say and how to say it." (I could easily be missionary companions with either of my brothers or my brothers-in-law. Any of them.)
In verse 17, we get a strong impression of Moses as a type of Christ. The Lord tells him that he will act "instead of God" to Aaron. In a limited sense, Moses will be God to Aaron. Adding the word "the" in between "in" and "stead" makes it very clear. God speaks to prophets, they speak to us. Moses speaks to Aaron, Aaron speaks to the people. Not that God has a speech impediment and needs a prophet to say his words, but the relationship is there. Only Moses was to retain the rod, the symbol of Christ, with which to perform miracles. Moses was still the prophet and presiding priesthood authority figure, not Aaron.
Verse 18: You are going to love Jethro. I do. He is the "high priest of Midian". He holds the Melchizedek Priesthood. This is a bit unusual back then, during a time of general apostasy in Israel. So he has the authority and inspiration to bless Moses and give him direction. Plus, he's been a good father in law to Moses and Moses trusts him.
Moses says, I have to go to Egypt (a dangerous trip) with your daughter and grandsons. And Jethro says, "Go in peace". ("You have my blessing".)
So Moses is starting to feel better about his mission.
Verse 19: The Lord comforts Moses by telling him that all the people that wanted him dead are dead themselves. See? We often have to accept and START the mission God gave us, and then he comforts us about it. Too many people say, "Yeah he called me to do such and such, but he only expects me to be WILLING to do it. I don't have to actually DO it. He'll let me off the hook." No. He expects results, but will give us the help we need. Remember 1 Nephi 3:7?
Verse 20: He takes his family and goes. More on this.
Verse 21: The Lord tells Moses to do all the miracles they discussed, before Pharaoh's eyes, using the rod. But here, Joseph Smith says it's translated wrong. God never hardens men's hearts. Men harden their own hearts against God. It should read "...and I will prosper thee; but Pharaoh will harden his heart, and he will not let the people go." The Lord knows each one of us.
Verses 21-23: Another type of Christ. Israel is God's firstborn son, or the Christ type.
Verse 24-26: More easily understood in the Joseph Smith Translation.
24And it came to pass, that the Lord appeared unto him as he was in the way, by the inn. The Lord was angry with Moses, and his hand was about to fall upon him, to kill him; for he had not circumcised his son. (See Genesis 17:14)
25Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and circumcised her son, and cast the stone at his feet, and said, Surely thou art a bloody husband unto me.
26And the Lord spared Moses and let him go, because Zipporah, his wife, circumcised the child. And she said, Thou art a bloody husband. And Moses was ashamed, and hid his face from the Lord, and said, I have sinned before the Lord.
27And the Lord said unto Aaron, go into the wilderness to meet Moses, and he went and met him, in the mount of God; in the mount where God appeared unto him; and Aaron kissed him.
Moses apparently had been negligent about circumcising his son. This was not an innocent mistake on his part. He had procrastinated. The Lord was angry and not just making a point but was going to actually kill Moses. Apparently, He'd had enough. Zipporah (gotta love her, too. She is a strong woman, Jethro's girl) stepped in and did the job, and chucked the stone at Moses feet, and accused him of being a blood husband. To me this means a few things. One, she was angry at him for not doing his priesthood duty regarding his little boy. Also, she had to do it, and although the Lord accepted that ordinance done by the mom, a woman, it is not her responsibility to do it.She save Moses' life. But she also let him know it. Now Moses is so ashamed of himself that he hides from God. Don't we do this, too, when we have sinned? Think of the ways we do this!
But I also see forgiveness and softness on the part of Zipporah. She uses the term bloody husband, but I think it means that she is reminding Moses of the covenant they have between them and between them and God. Blood signifies the atonement of Christ. Circumcision signifies it, too. "Moses, remember who you are. Remember your calling as a husband, father, and prophet. I'm upset, yes, but I love you and want you to succeed. You can do this. You are a husband of the blood covenant."
To finish up, Moses and Aaron go and gather all the elders of Israel and Moses performs the miracles in their presence, and tells Aaron what to say to them. And they believe it all. They know it is the answer to their prayers and they bow their heads and worship God.
I love Exodus 4. I love Moses. I love Zipporah and Jethro. I like Aaron at this point, but I know what's coming.
No comments:
Post a Comment