Reading through the Bible in a year will lead you to some parts of Scripture that are difficult to embrace. The Old Testament is packed with moment after moment of WHAT IS GOING ON and WHO IS THIS GOD. These moments seem so disconnected from the picture of God we gain from the life of Jesus. Ok, I know I am not the only one who thinks this when reading the Old Testament. In Genesis I my attention is captured by the power of story. In Exodus the story focuses on Moses and his experience leading the people of God. The story really gets focused as God for the first time provides a framework for how to live and worship as a follower of the one true God. On this journey through Exodus I have to keep reminding myself that God is speaking to a specific group of people with their own history, culture, and view of life. These are not Americans. These people have just been rescued from slavery and the culture of Egypt and now are being led by God into a new way of life. In all of the mess of the details contained in the book of Exodus here is where my AH HA moment came…GOD IS BRINGING CLARITY INTO THE MIDST OF CHAOS. In the pages of Exodus we see God creating a culture, a new way to live, a new way to treat each other, and (for the first time) the ability for the common man to know GOD. God moves from just communicating and connecting with a few select people to an ENTIRE NATION. Sure, my cultural framework makes reading this book difficult but I am blown away by the chance to read about God creating culture. God had a plan to redeem humanity and Exodus gives us a front row seat to watch God put it all in motion. I am so thankful God stepped into the mess of humanity and made a way for us to have a relationship with Him.
