September 22

TO READ: Exodus 6:1-8

The I AM

aTherefore, say to the Israelites: aI am the LORD, and I will free you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with mighty power and great acts of judgment. I will make you my own special people, and I will be your G.o.d. And you will know that I am the LORD your G.o.d who has rescued you from your slavery in Egypt.a Exodus 6:6-7

In Africa, parents name their children after events that coincide with the birth of the child. In America, parents sometimes name their children after their favorite celebrities. In my native England, parents usually name their children after another family member. But in ancient times, names held special significance. They often described the personality and significance of the one bearing the name. So, for instance, Jacob needed a new name when G.o.d turned his life around, and he became Israel; and Jesus was given his name precisely because Jesus means aG.o.d is the Savior.a Moses and Aaron had just confronted Pharaoh and demanded that he let Israel go and worship G.o.d in the wilderness. Pharaoh responded by increasing the burden of their slavery. The leaders of Israel blamed Moses and Aaron for their woes. What a predicament they were in! But as always, Moses looked to the Lord for help.

In response, G.o.d reminded Moses, aI am the LORDa (Exod. 6:6). The Hebrew word translated aLORDa is Yahweh or Jehovaha"a name so sacred to the devout Jew that he will not even p.r.o.nounce it. The name is related to the verb to be, which is significant when we remember that G.o.d had also told Moses that his name is aI AM THE ONE WHO ALWAYS ISa (3:14). Moses needed to know that the Lord is the unchanging one, the one who always is, without beginning, without end, totally self-contained and self-sufficient, not dependent, not contingent, lacking nothing, complete and entire in himself.

aWhatas in a name?a asked Shakespeare. Everything, if it is the name of the great I AM. G.o.das name is a revelation of who he is. We failing, fragile creatures need to be constantly rea.s.sured that the Lord is the One Who Always Is. When we get this straight, it does not matter that things change, that the future is obscure, that fears a.s.sail us, or that doubts beset us. He does not change, and in him we find our security and our confidence. Remember, Jesusa final words to his disciples were, aI am with you always, even to the end of the agea (Matt. 28:20). Because he is with us, we can have complete confidence in him.

September 23

TO READ: Exodus 23:1-13

Haves and Have-Nots

Do not twist justice against people simply because they are poor. . . . Do not oppress the foreigners living among you. You know what it is like to be a foreigner. Remember your own experience in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 23:6, 9

An undercla.s.s seems to emerge in every culture. Social scientists theorize about the reasons for this sociological phenomenon, but the ancient Scriptures spend less time theorizing and more time giving instructions to the privileged regarding their responsibilities to the underprivileged.

The children of Israel had been in the underprivileged category for many years during their Egyptian slavery. But once they were freed from bondage and were headed for the land of promise, it was time for them to remember their social obligations to those not so fortunate as they. These peoplea"the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the foreignersa"were extremely vulnerable to the exploiter and had to be protected from those who would callously make their sad situation worse. These vulnerable people were in dire straits for a variety of reasons, but in each case they were to be treated with justice and love, because they, too, were people with dignity, made in G.o.das image.

The principles outlined here, forbidding exploitation and mandating justice, apply to our situation todaya"even if the specific instructions do not apply. The ban on charging interest on loans, for instance, was designed to ensure that the poor were given a chance to escape their poverty; it probably did not refer to commercial loans. The restriction on keeping a manas cloak overnight simply meant that even interest-free loans required collateral, but if the only collateral available was a poor manas aponchoa he should not be deprived of it during the long, cold night. Even hard-nosed business should have a smiling face.

Our concern for the vulnerable and needy does not stem from political ideology, as we in the modern world might be tempted to a.s.sume, but from a profound theological conviction that all people, made in G.o.das image, must be treated with respect, biblical love, and compa.s.sion. The application of these ancient laws for modern-day business is that the powerful are not to exploit the powerless; the ahavesa are to be concerned for the ahave-notsa; and business must not be driven solely by the profit motive. Sound business practice must embrace justice, compa.s.sion, and generosity. Itas a sobering thought that with G.o.d the bottom line is not necessarily the top priority.

September 24

TO READ: Psalm 19

Praising G.o.d

May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

There are lots of things wrong with our world. But there are lots of things right about it, too! The things that are wrong point to the cataclysmic Fall, where arrogant man thought he knew better than G.o.d and plunged the world into chaos. The things that are right remind us that the world, tarnished though it is, still bears witness to its superb Creator.

Silently the heavens speak. Without uttering a sound or a word they proclaim mightily the wonders of their Creator. Morning by morning the glorious sun rises and speaks of the relentless faithfulness of a totally reliable G.o.d. Evening by evening the stars shine brightly and remind us of his brilliant vastness. To those who have ears to hear and eyes to see, athe heavens tell of the glory of G.o.da (19:1).

But to many the message is indistinct. Silent speaking does not register with them, and wordless messages convey little. So G.o.d gave his word. It supplements creationas revelation and glorification of G.o.d. It speaks where creation is silent; it communicates to those to whom the sun says little about G.o.d and the stars say nothing about deity. It is asweeter than honeya (19:10) to those who dip into its riches. There they find truth that revives and encourages, warnings that protect and preserve, instructions that command and direct, and promises that gladden and delight. Scripture speaks, and its very words bring glory to G.o.d.

But black print on white paper says little to some, since they are too busy to read, too disinterested to inquire. Thatas where you and I come in. G.o.d must be glorified and his truth must be broadcast, whether by silent sun and sparkling star, by written word, or by truth spoken and lived out. Humans can do what the word and the creation cannot doa"we alone can take the truth and explain it in glowing, vibrant terms that help men to see, and nothing in the world can articulate G.o.das praise like man.

That is why G.o.d equips us to proclaim him in worship, and that is why he commissions us to spread his truth in witness. That is why we must pray, like the psalmist, aMay the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemera (19:14). We are his unique mouthpieces, like nothing else on earth!

September 25

TO READ: Exodus 31:1-11

Craftsmanship

I have filled him with the Spirit of G.o.d, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts.

Exodus 31:3

An unusually humble poet once wrote, aPoems are made by fools like me, but only G.o.d can make a tree.a He was not a fool, because he recognized his limitations. But he was right about only G.o.d making trees. Yet G.o.d has pa.s.sed on some of his creative ability to men. G.o.d creates and man crafts.

It all started with a man called Jubal. He was athe inventor of the harp and flutea (Gen. 4:21). G.o.d gave him a gift. He could hear the sound of the wind in the trees and the song of the birds on the branches, and perhaps he thought, thatas beautiful, and something in his heart longed to reproduce the sound. So with dexterous fingers and divinely imparted originality he fashioned a flute. Then maybe he listened to the rippling sound of a brook on pebbles. With great ingenuity he duplicated the lovely sound on a harp. His half brother Tubal-cain was different. He was more artisan than artist, but he fashioned beautiful things, too, as ahe was the first to work with metal, forging instruments of bronze and irona (Gen. 4:22).

Then along came Bezalel, a Spirit-filled man whose divinely imparted skills spanned all manner of craftsmanship. He was equally at home working in metals, wood, or gems. He made things that were essentially practical but unfailingly beautiful. For him it was not enough to make things that worked. His craftsmanship reflected something of his delight in the things G.o.d had made. His handiwork was an expression of praise and appreciationa"a piece of work that was in itself an act of worship.

Unfortunately, music can get ugly, and bronze and iron can be fashioned into instruments of torture. But it need not be so. There is beauty all around in G.o.das handiwork. The man who serves G.o.d will see it, appreciate it, and with G.o.d-given talent reproduce it to G.o.das glory and manas delight. Thereas too much ugliness and sordidness in the world for which men are responsible. We need more Jubals, Tubal-cains, and Bezalels, producers of beauty and purveyors of delight. We need more men for whom creation is such a delight that they want to preserve it, to portray it, and to pick its bountiful richness. We need more men who see that G.o.d is the ultimate Creator who has called them to be consummate craftsmen. Many men have a tendency to destroy. More men are needed who will beautify our world and glorify their Lord.

September 26

TO READ: Exodus 39:32-43

Faithfulness in the Details

So the people of Israel followed all of the Lordas instructions to Moses. Moses inspected all their work and blessed them because it had been done as the LORD had commanded him.

Exodus 39:42-43

Youave probably heard it said that athe devil is in the details.a What you may not have heard is that the Lord is interested in the details! He expects those who take their spiritual lives seriously to show their faithfulness not only in the major issues but in the minor details, too.

G.o.d Almighty made it clear that he intended to dwell among the people of Israel, whom he had chosen. Even in their wilderness travels he had indicated that his presence in their midst was vital to their ident.i.ty and survival. Accordingly, G.o.d ordered his people to build a structure that would be appropriate to their environmenta"a tent in a desert. More important, it was a structure worthy of his presence. G.o.d conveyed minute details concerning size, structure, materials, and decorations to Moses.

Given the difficult circ.u.mstances under which these people worked, it is noteworthy that they took no shortcuts, used no inferior materials, and took pains to finish the work as stipulated. The people building the tabernacle in the desert were doing their work as unto the Lord, and for them a job well done was the least their G.o.d deserved. The quality of their work was testimony to their faithful commitment to him. On inspection of the finished work, Moses noted that the apeople of Israel followed all of the Lordas instructions,a and he called together the workmen and ablessed them because it had been done as the Lord had commanded hima (39:42-43).

Modern workmen are not always as a.s.siduous. They call in sick when they are not, they cut corners if no one is watching, they contract for one commodity and slip in another. Employees rip off management, and managers abuse employees. Many people feel the workplace is a rat race and the rats are winning. What a place for the man of G.o.d to show he marches to a different drummer!

We are called to live out our discipleship by being faithful to G.o.d in the details of our lives. The Lord deserves to be well served; those who do so in their daily lives are simply being faithful. Faithfulness comes in many shapes and sizes, but it never includes shortcuts, shoddy materials, and half measures. Faithfulness, even and especially in the details of our lives, is what G.o.d desires.

September 27

TO READ: Leviticus 4:22-35

Sacrificial Forgiveness