limtaglongtree

DQ7: Who hardened Pharaoh’s heart during the standoff between him and the LORD?

            Pharaoh hardened his heart instantly. He chooses to harden his heart the fact that he can maximize and utilize the Israelites for some reasons. Like Economically, Slavery is the backbone of their progress. In some point of view Pharaoh wanted to show that the God of the Egyptians is more powerful that their Egyptian Gods are capable to contend also to the God of the Israelite as shown in the first showdown that even their God can turn the water into blood. Also that the fact that it is an opportunity to show to the world that the Egyptian race is the most powerful race in the whole world and it is a good situation to harden your heart due to the reason that Moses and his spokesman Aaron, coming to the palace to persuade the Pharaoh that the God of Israelites wants an offering beyond the borders of Egypt the fact that it is like a joke Moses persuading an Authority whom he just served for a while, again Pharaoh has the  rights to hardened his stone cold heart. Also it will be a joke of the century at that time for Moses persuading a Pharaoh to free them because if the God of the Israelites is Sovereign He would not need Moses help to free them, the fact that the Israelite God could perform His task long time ago. It is a showdown of how you would represent your God foolishly that Moses walking out in the Palace with a 600,000 and more people with just a one deal of cards. Naturally, Pharaoh has the right to harden his foolish heart. He might have said that “Moses you can do more than that!” a fellow prince turned traitor persuading the most intelligent-Pharaoh will surely harden his heart instantly. But as he constantly hardened his heart God has use this situation that He would deserve the Glory and all the nations around Him would fear Him.

But now our appetites are gone, and day after day we nothing to eat but this manna!

Number 11:6

            Life is simple and plain.  This are the times that God will exercise his power that it seems sometimes we are not giving him back the glory and honor due to a monotonous event, “Manna! Manna! Manna! in a poorman’s world would be the appropriate lyrics. I have Just remember that old rich man’s song… hehe!  I am a man of routine. I enjoy the events that are circulating around me. The places I would go seem almost the same everyday for the past 10 years of my life and I did not notice that I was playing the same card, the same game, with the same players. This would sometimes tend me to master the same game. But I noticed that as the game goes on I realized that I did not master the ritual that I am under going. It gets complicated. Wow! It came to my mind that life gets more complicated as we passes the same routine because of the options that wants to buy us? Maybe or maybe not but who can measure the depth of our appetite? We live in a world of comparison of everything from TV to Gas range to toothpaste and even the laundry soap that we are using seems condemned. We will surely miss to praise God if we would always look and compare and lust for other blessing. The good attitude is some times let natural blessing takes its place in order that we could appreciate it and recognized the provider Himself. It would take routines but if God would be lifted up it would glorify Him and we won’t have problem comparing and lusting on others blessing.

The sun has its routine since the beginning of time-from its rising and settling down it follows the same path and this the same path follows the same worship-Glorifying God in every season and every period of the year it functions the same function over and over and whether you like it or not-Again.

DQ6: Where exactly is the Red Sea that the Israelites crossed on their flight from Egypt?

            The so-called “red sea” which in the Hebrew text it is read as Yam Suph which is translated as “sea of Reeds” in Exodus 3:18 and the name itself, the word reeds is equated on “papyrus lake” and when the Israelites have crossed the body of water (Yam Suph) the land that the Israelites have landed was on the northern part of the Siniatic Penninsula which is on the “Dessert of Shur” as accounted on Exodus 15:22 when Moses have just finish praising God. Answer: The Great Bitter Lake. Bitter lake may not be a part of the red sea but I am more particular on the etymology of its word which may be closer to the intent of the writer. Also, the Great Bitter Lake as a body of water has a surface area of about 250 km². To the north, the canal also runs through Lake Manzala and Lake Timsah. As the canal has no locks, sea water flows freely into the lake from the Mediterranean and the Red Sea, replacing water lost to evaporation. The lake acts as a buffer for the canal, reducing the effect of tidal currents. On the map it seems that the lake is small but with the land area of 250 Km square meter it can swallow up an army of Egyptians that has chased the Israelites. The Etymology of the word is the safest I believe in verifying the exact place of the writer’s description of the place where we can assume the closest possible geographical place of the said body of water. Although we can assume that there are two more possible locations one is the Suez Canal and the other is the Gulf of Aqabah. But if there are future evidences that can prove the exact location of the part of the “Red Sea” I am ready for verifications but for now I will go for The Great Bitter Lake.

If your sacrifice for a whole burnt offering is from the herd, bring a bull with no physical defect to the entrance of the tabernacle so it will be accepted to the Lord

Leviticus 1:3

            This is a good portrait of Jesus the lamb that was slain. A lamb that has no defect it represents a Holy and pure offering that God Himself will not reject. In Hebrews 10 Christ is the official sacrifice for all of sinners. “The old system in the Law of Moses was only the shadow of the things to come, not the reality of the good things Christ has done for us. The sacrifices under the old system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide cleansing for those who come to worship. If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshippers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt have disappeared. But just the opposite happened. Those yearly sacrifices reminded them of their sins year after year. For it is not possible for the bulls and goats to take away sins (Hebrews 10:1-5)”

            As I realized and pondered my life that Christ has cleansed through His blood…May I always live it also as holy as He desired it to be a life that has no defect. I praise my Jesus for His redemptive work making me clean once and for all. I praise him for I cannot restore my soul in my own effort but He restores it at Calvary-the official offering. This life that was bought in a high price by the blood of Jesus may I always live as an official sacrifice as a gratitude to the King who suffered and died for my sins. “Just think how much more, the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that leads to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.” As said in Hebrew 9:14.

DQ5

Who is the new king of Exodus 1:8 who came to power in Egypt and who doesn’t know Joseph?

            The new king who did not knew Joseph in the passage of exodus 1:8 is not traced with profound answer of the king which has ruled during that time,  so we can have two possible assumptions that would help us to trace the king in that era. In the book of the History of Israel by Walter C. Kaiser Jr, he presented to point of views: The possible king in that era was Amosis which some scholars argue, This Amosis which is the founder of the eighteenth dynasty (1570-1546), three hundred has passed before the Israelites begun to be oppressing the Israelites in the Eighteenth or nineteenth dynasties, but the problem here is it does not comply with the historicity of the Bible itself. The record in Genesis 15:13 account suggest that the Israelites would be slave for four hundred years. The estimation of the death of Moses is around 1775. In this data, Kaiser concluded that the slavery of the Israelites would fall short of 100 years less following some preference that it is in the 19^th dynasty. As opened by Kaiser, who, then, was the Pharaoh of the oppression if it is not the founder of the 18^th or 19^th century. If it is not Amosis of the 18^th dynasty, then who could have been this pharaoh of the oppression of Israel? Anwser: An Asiatic people whom the Egyptian knew as the Hyksos, “ruler of the foreign lands” the Hyksos swept into Egypt at a time of political instability, since these invaders had the distinctive advantage of such advanced weapon as the war chariot and the laminated and composite bow, they overthrew the native Egyptian Dynasties some time around 1730-1710 B.C. and from that time until the revolt of Amosis, the founder of  the 18^th dynasty in 1570 B.C. the Hyksos exercised absolute control in northern Egypt, establishing their capital in the Nile delta at Avaris, and later over much of Egypt as detailed by Kaiser. Accordingly, the “new king did not know about Joseph” must have been a Hykos who arose some time in between 1730 and 1710 B.C. this meant that the oppression of Israel lasted for some three hundred years, a figure much closer to the four hundred years predicted in Genesis 15:13. It does not appear that the Hyksos rule consisted of a succession of sovereign rulers reigning over a completely unified Upper and Lower Egypt. Instead, there is evidence that the leaders of the Hyksos at Avaris-Memphis were leaders of a federation of rulers over various parts of Egypt as detailed by Kaiser.

Moses inspected all their works and blessed them because it had done as the Lord had commanded it

Exodus 39:43

            Sa Wakas!!!!

            When a building is finish done the engineer in charge would inspect all the specifications that are in the blueprint. All the desired measurements and the planned design will be inspected, the structure itself, the interior and exterior design and until its finish desired outcome.

            At last! Finally! Whew! These are the possible ending words that would be expressed. In our local dialect sa wakas!!! From the Tabernacle to the Ark of the Covenant to the Table and the Lamb stand to the Courtyard all have specifications. These are the major properties that the Israelites would be using when they would come to worship the Lord. Moses inspects them as God has design them. In here God is the ultimate designer of the properties that He would be using. He specified the materials that they would be using like in Exodus 25:10-22 where he specified the specific dimensions of the Ark, the materials, and the proper occupation and usability of the designed Ark. This would give us a good insight of how we should be inspecting also the works that God has entrusted us. If the tasks are difficult check the following diagnostic questions:

1. Am I following the specified specifications?
2. Am I using the right materials?
3. Am I following the right direction in my work?

These are the questions that would help us in accomplishing the task that are given to us. It sound robotic I tell you! But these would help us to achieve God’s purpose in our life. The question is when is the last time we inspected the works that are entrusted to us? Am I still modifying the official plan? Am I on the wrong track?

As the song goes…there is no problem to big God can not solve it… if He carries the weight of the world upon his Shoulders…this song reminds me that Jesus my partner is our helper in accomplishing all the task… Jesus said- Come to me all who are weary and I will give you rest.

DQ4: Who are the ‘Apiru/Habiru and why are they significant?

Habiru (Ha biru) or Apiru (‘ piru) ibrw (Egyptian ibr = horsemen w = plural) was the name given by various Sumerian, Egyptian, Akkadian, Hittite, Mitanni, and Ugaritic sources (dated, roughly, from before 2000 BC to around 1200 BC) to a group of people living as MAR TU or nomadic invaders in areas of the Fertile Crescent from Northeastern Mesopotamia and Iran to the borders of Egypt in Canaan. Depending on the source and epoch, these Habiru are variously described as nomadic or semi-nomadic, rebellious, outlaws, raiders, mercenaries, agricultural workers, horse mounted messengers and bowmen, servants, slaves, migrant laborers, etc. (by William H McNeil and Jean W Sedlar, in “The Ancient Near East” discuss the etymology of the name habiru and references to it in the Amarna literature and Egyptian campaign literature.)

            This Habiru or Apiru People are very significant in the picturing the actual events in the verifications of the how Abraham was describe in the bible as a certain character and his occupation. Abraham when called by God to leave his country to go to Canaan and on their way to Canaan This Habiru or Apiru group who are known as nomadic invaders is very significant in the setting of the desert place, where assumingly the desert in those times are bandit-infested area. In this case, Abraham has traveled with armies that would protect him from these raiders who would instantly rob them. Assumingly, raiders are big time robbers that select their preys- which are big time preys, this would light up that Abraham traveled with men for security purpose and also this would give a profound hint that Abraham is a certain man that can afford men giving a conclusion that Abraham is a high ranking official or well-to-do merchant (Kaiser), who could sustain some men together with all their families and domesticated animals. This would give a conclusion that Abraham traveled in a caravan. Traveling in caravans to a destination that is very far must use a camel for high speed mobility. Archeologist has verified that Abraham has used camels in their journey (J.P. Free) connecting that habiru People are professional raiders that selects professional jobs. The habiru people have given a profound picture of desert people in the time of Abraham in the middle bronze period.

I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are

Exodus 32: 9

Identity please!!!!!!

I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are

Exodus 32: 9

Identity please!!!!!!

The metamorphosis of the butterfly has stages. Every stage has its own identity which gives this butterfly a distinction of its morphing stage. it start with the egg stage then as it process into larvae and then as time goes by it goes into chrysalis or what they called pupa and as time passes by it will animate into a matured developed butterfly which is its final stage. Sometimes where forget how Christ has changed us into a new branded creation. People change and forgot their identity abusing How God is been faithful to these Israelites. Despite how God would exhibit His power in Egypt delivering them into the cruel hands of the Egyptians this People has forgotten their identity in a little span of time. God is a personal jealous Father. He longs our attention to Him. But the sad part is that we sometimes don’t recognize him even though millions of miracles would happen our stubbornness would blind us leading to rebellion that is a grave sin. This butterfly a creature made by God was made to teach us a lesson of change. We have stages in life and the sad part is we forgot that Christ has upgraded us into the final stage. As we go to maturity level may we always identify with this little creature of God that we should always remember these butterflies that always upgrades. As the butterflies spread their wings to fly May my faith also soars with this kind of creature God has made.

May I always be humbled down even with out miracles and may the simplicity of my life be an opportunity to thank the Lord.

May I always be reminded of how God sanctifying me as I rely on his grace to change me and as He molds me to the kind of person he desires that every stages of my life is He’s plan.