Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 34:21

21 Six days thou shalt work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest: in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.

Continuing with the trend of the past couple days, here we have God re-extending a previously heard law, this one related to the observance of a Sabbath day. Not all the wording between the original injunction and this are the same. The original commandment stressed the importance of not only abstaining from work for oneself, but also that he must not cause anyone around him to work either.

We don’t hear that same detail here, but we do receive a new emphasis with the instruction, “in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest.” This makes clear that the people aren’t to go looking for temporary exceptions. One cannot be justified in excusing themselves from the commandment “just during the harvest” or anything like that. This law not only applies universally to every inhabitant, but as a constant in all times.

The phrase “earing time and in harvest” also brings to mind a passage we heard quite some time ago. Back when Joseph was a prince in Egypt, he had explained to his brethren that they needed his help to survive the famine, as it would continue for yet another “five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest.” I wonder if God’s wording here deliberately reflected records that the Israelites had of that moment in their history. If so, it seems to address the main underlying fear that might tempt one to break this commandment, which would be that your crops would fail and that you would starve, just like what happened in the time of Joseph in Egypt. This reference back to Joseph might have been to remind the people that when it came to being at the mercy of weather and the seasons, there was nothing surer than a partnership with the Lord. He would see them through alright, just as He had done for Israel and his sons all those years ago.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Exodus 6:28-30

28 And it came to pass on the day when the Lord spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt,

29 That the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I am the Lord: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.

30 And Moses said before the Lord, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?

Back in verses 10 through 12 we heard the start of a conversation between Moses and God, where Moses was discouraged because the Israelite people had not believed his message from the Lord. This conversation was interrupted by the record of Levitical genealogy, and todays verses seem to be recapping where the exchange had left off.

Moses had failed to convince the Israelites that God would liberate them, and now he was being asked to get Pharaoh to believe God’s words instead. Moses was sure that he could not do this. He had “uncircumcised lips,” he did not speak well, he could not see himself being up to the task. We have already examined God’s response to this fear in the first account of these events, but there is a notable difference in this second version which we will review in the next verses.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Scriptural Analysis- Genesis 41:5-7

5 And he slept and dreamed the second time: and, behold, seven ears of corn came up upon one stalk, rank and good.

6 And, behold, seven thin ears and blasted with the east wind sprung up after them.

7 And the seven thin ears devoured the seven rank and full ears. And Pharaoh awoke, and, behold, it was a dream.

Pharaoh’s dream about the cows was unsettling enough, but when he fell asleep again the theme was repeated a second time, now with stalks of corn. This doubling of dreams is a pattern in the story of Joseph. It began with Joseph having two dreams about how his family would come to make obeisance to him. It continued with the baker and the butler each having a thematically similar dream in the prison. And now the Pharaoh’s dreams are doubled as well.

One reason for the doubling of these messages might be to ensure the recipient will recognize them as being from God. One stray dream might just be a random imagination of the mind, but the same idea being repeated in different representations suggests a conscious, deliberate mind behind it all.

In Pharaoh’s second dream he again has a resource, this time corn, coming rich and full in the number of seven. Then, as with the cattle, seven poor representations of the crop rise and consume the first. Specifically, we are told that the poor ears of corn are blasted by the “east wind,” which is an expression that shows up a few times in the Bible, used to denote ruin and famine.

Posted on by Abe Austin

Thought for the Day- Forgiveness

Forgiveness is letting go of the wrong.

Forgiveness is realizing that we have picked the wrong back up and letting it go once more.

Forgiveness is recognizing all the many times thereafter that the wrong is still in our hands, perhaps over and over throughout our entire lives, and each time letting it go.

Posted on by Abe Austin

The Need for Refreshing- Question

Most every branch of Christianity has some sort of “sacrament.” Regularly repeated ceremonies that are meant to keep us in constant reminder of God, our dependence on Him, and our commitment to Him.

This idea of repeated ceremony is not unique to Christianity either. Confucius strongly believed in the worthiness of proper rituals, the Buddha advocated for consistent meditative practices, and Hinduism promotes regular yoga practice.

Even outside of any religious or ideological context, it has long been observed that “practice makes perfect,” and that education is most effective with regular repetition. I’d like to examine what insights the scriptures have to offer for these regularly repeated sacraments. What benefit do we derive from them? How can we approach them in a way that is best for our soul? Did God put this need for constant reminding within us, or is it simply a part of our fallen state?