I have been reading Exodus because I want to understand how the Old Testament shapes the New Testament.
I was struck by something early on in Exodus 3 and 4. This is where Moses see God(a Theophany). What intrigues me he the most is how God tells Moses to explain who he is to his people.
"Exo 3:16 "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt."
Here it can be I am the Lord God of your ancestors. This is something I have pondered over for a couple of days. It was not a heavy explanation of who God, its just the God of Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob. No more explanation. I find this crazy God does not tell Moses to explain who He is. God just simply speaks of who he has been God over.
Moses as everyone else would, does not trust God in this endeavor. He says the words I say all the time, "What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, 'The LORD did not appear to you'?"(Exo 4:1) God simply explains to Moses to show the a sign to the people. Turn his staff into a snake back into a staff.
I feel that God is simpler then we try to make him before other people. God is amazing and we need not to try to force him into something he is not. God told Moses to explain who he has been.
This is something I have been thinking about, who has God been, in history, in my life, and in peoples lives around me. This is why I really love understanding the Bible.
One thing I want to look at is in Acts when Paul is speaking to Gentiles and contrast this to he explains God to them.
Act 17:24 "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands;
Act 17:25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things;
Act 17:26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,
Here God is explaining as the God of Creation(Acts 17:24a). Something pretty simple to show and explain. The other day I was in Best Buy with my friend Jake, and we were looking at huge TVs and they were showing a should of insects and sea creatures. We both turn to each other and ask a question "How can people not believe in God with creation being so beautiful and complicated. I feel God should be easy to explain.
I love the next statement being a closet pentecostal, "He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands"(Acts 17:24b) God is not constrained to a building. I think if Paul was here in our time he would say that God is not contained by the four walls of a church. You can experience God anywhere. I personally love to experience God in nature. I love going on hike, bike rides being in the wilderness. Seeing God beautiful creation is something that brings me closer to my creator. I love my friend Nick who when he always see a beautiful California sunset thanks God. This is a place I think we need to be when we explain God to people, who do not believe in God.
The next two verses I will group together. Seeing that God creates human beings, gives them life, gives them everything. He did not exclude anyone, this is something I think I need to focus and ponder on.
I think it is important to see how you view God. I think its important to explain him simply. Gods not all the complicated. Theology is complicated, lets not make God complicated. I am saying this and I love to argue theology, but is arguing theology Going to get people to search for God? This is something I am going to ponder this summer. Something I will try. I thank God for life and beauty.
