Nomadic Pasta...

Previously on Closer Walk...

Imagine those words being spoken by Keifer Sutherlin with kind of a raspy voice... Ah the return of 24 is not far away! Ooo Rah!

Last Sunday we started our study of the book of Exodus by amassing a good amount of data from our previous experience with the book and then we began to break it down a bit. Each one of us has our own unique set of experiences that have brought us to where we are right now. And as we come together to study God's word we bring our own unique perspective. For some, the biggest thing about the book of Exodus might be the fact that it shows God's provision for His people. Someone else might say that the biggest thing for them is the way the book shows the continuity of God's plan. Others may say that in the transition from slavery, (Egypt), to the promised land, (Canaan), that we see a description of ourselves- once slave to sin- moving in the direction of the promised land.

The beauty of it is that we would all be right. God is so big and His word so all-encompassing that it seems we never come to the "end" of it.

We talked briefly about how the book can be organized into 4 periods in Israel's history. For the benefit of those not there on Sunday and for our coming discussions, let's review those:

The Period of Bondage (Chap 1-2)
The Period of Deliverance (Chap 3-12)
The Period of Discipline (Chap 12-18)
The Period of Legislation (Chap 19-40)

As we work out way through the book, we will look at events and highlights of each period.

One last thought for this weeks entry... I cannot help but notice the similarity between something that happened in the beginning of Exodus and something that happened in the beginning of Acts. Those in power in Egypt began to be afraid of the Israelites and decided to try to squash them. Chapter 1 of Exodus tells of how despite these efforts, God's people multiplied like crazy.

In Acts, we see what happened in post-crucifixion Jerusalem. The pharisees thought they had squashed this "Jesus Christ" thing, only to find that it would multiply like crazy.

The tighter they squeeze, the more God's purpose slips away.

I think that it will always be that way.

Just Keep Swimming...

Jon