Character Studies

Made Weak to Win

Jacob

Genesis 32

Little Johnny was not doing very well in math. His parents had tried everything—tutors, flash cards, "Hooked on Math," special learning centers—in short, everything they could think of. Finally, in a last ditch effort, they took Johnny down and enrolled him in the local Catholic school.

After the first day, little Johnny came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn't kiss his mother hello but went straight to his room and started studying. Books and papers were spread out all over the room, and Johnny was hard at work. His amazed mother called him down to dinner, and the minute he was done he marched back to his room without a word. In no time, he was back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day, while the mother tried to understand what made all the difference.

 

Part Eight:The Response of Moses and the People to the Giving of the Law—Exodus 20:18-21

Moses - The Law of God; Exodus 20

18] When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance 19] and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die."
20] Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."
21] The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Part Four: The Commandments About God

Moses - The Law of God; Exodus 20

You shall have no other gods before Me—v. 3.

God alone is to be recognized as God (Ex. 20:2-3). This doesn't mean we can have other gods as long as our God is first; "just keep Him on the top of the list." No way; this is exclusive! The words "before Me" mean "besides Me," or "in the presence of Me." So there are to be no other gods but our God—Deut. 8:11,17,19; 6:5,13,17; 10:12,20.

In our study of Old Testament characters, we discovered how Israel struggled with this in its history. David Guzik's Commentary for Exodus points out, "...great was the temptation to worship the gods of materialism (Baal, the god of weather and financial success) and sex (Ashtoreth, the goddess of sex, romance, and reproduction), or any number of other local deities."

Part Two: The Function of the Law

Moses - The Law of God; Exodus 20

So what is the purpose of the Law? Essentially it operates as a mirror, reflecting and revealing. It was given:
  • To reveal God's glory and holiness—Deut. 5:22-28
  • To reveal man's sinfulness—Rom. 7:7,13; I Tim. 1:9ff; James 1:22-25. If we hold the law up to our life, like a mirror it reflects God’s glory, holiness and character, and reveals our sinfulness and need for a Savior.
  • To mark Israel as God's chosen people, and to separate them from the heathen Gentile nations—Ps. 147:19-20; Eph. 2:11-17; Acts 15
  • To give Israel a standard for godly living that they might inherit the land and enjoy its blessings—Deut. 4:1ff; 5:29ff; Judges 2:19-21
  • To prepare Israel for the coming of Christ—Gal. 3:24.
  • To illustrate in type and ceremony the Person and work of Christ—Heb. 10:1

 

Part One: Introduction

Moses - The Law of God; Exodus 20

I wrote the following song to summarize what we studied in our last session on the life of Moses and the Ten Commandments. It is entitled: "On Eagles' Wings."

"I'll lift you up on eagles' wings. I'll carry you home. In your trials, I'll be with you and guide you through the storm. Remember My deliverance; I brought you here to be a kingdom priest, holy nation, a treasure for Me. You'll bring me to the place You planned, a promised land for me. If I'll obey Your commands, You'll keep me free."

These words are inspired by Exodus 19, as well as Israel's journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. Let me highlight Exodus 19 and review what we have covered in our studies together.

Part Four: On Eagles’ Wings—Exodus 19

Moses

There must be thousands of jokes that include Moses, Jesus, and someone else. Have you heard them? Since we are studying the life of Moses now, it might be good to stop for a minute and tell one. You may have heard it, but it's one of my favorites.

Moses and Jesus were part of a threesome playing golf one day. Moses pulled up to the tee and drove a long one. The ball landed in the fairway, but rolled directly toward a water trap. Quickly Moses raised his club, the water parted, and the ball rolled to the other side, safe and sound.

 

Part Three: “It’s Either Too Much or Too Little Water;” For God’s Glory and Our Growth—Exodus 14-15

Moses

In this study we're going to look again at probably the most famous Old Testament story—the crossing of the Red Sea.

It is helpful trto remember this principle: "Israel's history foreshadows in type and example our story as present day believers." Therefore, the positive purpose of Israel's history is to inspire us. Romans 15:4—For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Part Two: Between Compromise and Catastrophe—Exodus 8-14

Moses

Here are some Great Truths About Life That Little Children Have Learned (author unknown).

  • No matter how hard you try, you can't baptize cats.When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair.
  • If your sister hits you, don't hit her back. They always catch the second person.
  • Never ask your three-year-old brother to hold a tomato.
  • You can't trust dogs to watch your food.
  • Reading what people write on desks can teach you a lot.
  • Don't sneeze when someone is cutting your hair.
  • Puppies still have bad breath even after eating a Tic Tac.
  • Never hold a dustbuster and a cat at the same time.
  • School lunches stick to the wall.
  • You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk.

Just think of the list of great truths we could compile if we put our minds to it... not only "Great Truths About Life We Learned as Children," but "Great Truths About Life We Learned As Christians."

Part One: Who Am I?—Exodus 3-4

Moses

Most of us have something that could be called a deficit, a defect, an insufficiency, a shortcoming, a blemish, an impediment, or an imperfection. It could be a physical attribute that mars our appearance, or something we believe might cause inadequacy or failure in our lives. It's the lack of a usual or needed amount of some quality, attribute, possession, or circumstance.

I had one, and still do to a certain extent. My deficit was an acute and spasmodic red pigmentation level of the facial cortex. I'm other words, I was extremely shy, and that shyness manifested itself with a very red face. This insufficiency (flaw, blemish, imperfection) was no problem as long as I stayed out of any public speaking arena, and public speaking was the last thing I wanted to do anyway.

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