BSF Sharing Day

Today was Sharing Day for the Perth Day Women BSF class. The end of year celebration of BSF Sharing Day is an opportunity to share with the other women in the class some of what God has taught us and done in our lives this year through our study of the Life of Moses. But since I blog, I'm going to "share" with you as well!

First, I would like to thank Kyong and Mitra, who taught Anna to eagerly desire to obey God's commands this year.
I would like to thank Bonnie and Anna, whose love for the children in their care has been reciprocated by adoration from my daughter Abigail, who loves to sing the songs they have taught her.
I would like to thank Caren and Pella, who made Samuel's first experience of Bible Study one to look forward to each week, even if he does still cry for a few moments at the door when he remembers I won't be with him.
They have ensured that the lessons I learnt in BSF were taught to my children in a way that we could easily build upon at home with the rest of our family.

This year, over 32 weeks of study, I have read through Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. It has been an amazing time spent reading of Moses' journeys: from papyrus basket to Pharaoh's palace, from Egypt to Midian and thence the Burning Bush, then back to Egypt, then with the people of Israel out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Also, I have discovered Moses' journey growing in faith in God and learning to do God's will, and to lead God's people in His will for them also.

One of the most encouraging things I have learnt this year from Moses is to know God as "God of the spirits of all mankind". Moses called the LORD by this name twice, the only times God is referred to by this name in the whole Bible. The second time that Moses used this special name for God was recorded in Numbers 27:15-17, and I wrote about that prayer and God's answer back here.

The first occasion, in contrast, was when Moses called out to God for vindication, after Korah and his followers challenged Moses' leadership. God threatened to put an end to the entire assembly of Israelites. Numbers 16:22 records, "Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, 'O God, God of the spirits of all mankind, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?' " God answered by swiftly punishing the culprits, but only the leaders and those who refused to separate themselves from the guilty. Those who chose to move back from the tents of the leaders Korah, Dathan and Abiram, were saved. Among the saved were the sons of Korah, whose descendants later wrote many of the Psalms.

In this incident, we can see that God knows the innermost thoughts, emotions and attitudes - the "spirits" - of all people, and He judges us accordingly. Our sin is terrible in His eyes, but we may be assured that He will not condemn us for the sins of others. Rather, we are judged for our own sins. As Zelophehad's daughters said of their father (Numbers 27:3) " 'Our father died in the desert. He was not among Korah's followers. who banded together against the LORD, but he died for his own sin...' "

The situation is the same now as then. We are all in the same predicament. When it comes to measuring our lives against the standard of God's righteousness, we all fall short. And the consequences of this are indeed terrible: "the wages of sin is death..." Paul wrote to the Romans (6:23). We might not be part of an open, deliberate rebellion against God and His appointed leader, but we are all guilty of some sin against God. And to be frank, you might not think of yourself as rebelling against God's leader, but unless God's Son, the King Jesus, is given His rightful place as Lord over all of your life, then you are indeed rebelling against God. If Jesus is Lord over your life, then you won't be living the same self-centred life you were before, you can be assured of that!

Fortunately, God has not left us hanging under the threat of His judgement, deserved as it is. Paul wrote on to the Romans, "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Rather than death, our earthly life can be renewed with Everlasting Life with God, bought with Christ's blood, which He shed at His death. It might sound all a bit primitive, that someone would purchase another person's life with their death. Yet anyone who has ever wanted to hurt someone who hurt them first will understand that blood demands blood. Not in spilled in vengeance, but poured out for atonement. At it's heart, Jesus' atoning death satisfied the judgement and wrath of God. He paid the price of our sin so we do not have to.