Jesse Tree - God understands our fears (Day 13)

"During that night the LORD said to Gideon, "Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp." So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp." Judges 7:9-11

Friday: Gideon

Bible Reading: Judges 7

Jesse Tree Symbol - Ram's horn trumpet (go to Jesse Tree ornaments 2 

Israel, once again, had fallen under the persecution of another people, the Midians. God chose a man, Gideon, to lead them out of slavery. But who was Gideon" He, like Moses, was a man who immediately questioned God's choice of him as a leader: "My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."Judges 6:15 He then went on to test God, not once but twice, with the wet and dry fleece. When God, through His loving patience, showed Gideon that indeed, He was truly calling him and would be with him, Gideon obeyed.

But Gideon is human and thankfully, God recognizes that. After God had reduced his army from 32,000 men to only 300, "in order that Israel may not boast against Me that her own strength had saved her," Judges 7:2; He knew that Gideon would be fearful. How could an army of only 300 defeat an enemy who "had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore?" Judges 7:12

God can do anything, but we humans often need to see His miracles more than once for us to believe Him. So "during that night the LORD said to Gideon, 'Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.'" Judges 7:9-11

What a wonderful God we serve! He knows that sometimes the things He asks us to do seem so impossible. We want to simply "trust and obey," but fear gnaws at us and uncertainty clouds our vision. It is at those exact times that God will often step in and encourage us, showing us, through various means, that He is God and He is still on His throne and that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Even Jesus, at the Garden of Gethsemane, needed the Lord's encouragement in the trial He was about to face. "He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.' An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him." Luke 22:41-43

If we will step out in obedience, like Gideon and Jesus Christ, we will find that God is patient with our fears and will encourage us in the journey. We serve a loving, patient and understanding God!

The above commentary on Judges is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree

When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. We need to step out in obedience and pray for them as God asks us to. 

Two great websites to help you do this are:

Unreached of the Day

Operation World  go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile

Another way to give is by giving a gift to those, throughout the world, who have very little. It might be a chicken, or sheep or a goat...maybe you can help pay for the digging of a well or provide a sewing machine to a widow so she can provide for her family. There are many ways to help this Christmas. Visit  Gospel for Asia and take a look at their Christmas Catalog. 

Jesse Tree - Is He Safe? (Day 12)

"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 and said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die."

Exodus 20:18-19

Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. 

Matthew 19:13

Thursday: God at Mt. Sinai

Bible Reading: Exodus 19:1-20:20

Jesse Tree Symbol: Ten Commandments (go to Jesse Tree ornaments 2 and look for Ten Commandments)

Today, do we really understand the fear of the Lord? Do our children? God is God...the creator of the Universe, our creator. He is holy, awesome, mighty, without equal and He is to be feared.

Often times, when I have read about the "fear of the Lord" to my children, I have explained it as "great respect." But, if you read through the Word, the fear of God by those who encounter Him in the Old Testament is true fear.

"Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.  The Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai and called Moses to the top of the mountain. So Moses went up and the Lord said to him, "Go down and warn the people so they do not force their way through to see the Lord and many of them perish. Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them." Exodus 19:17-22

There was great fear at the thought of meeting God at Mount Sinai or anytime He appeared. Even the appearance of angels struck fear in the hearts of humans who saw them. Almost every time a person saw an angel, they fell back in fear and the angel's first words were always: "Do not fear."

I believe C. S. Lewis, in his timeless tale, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, portrays this fear of God well in his portrayal of Christ as Aslan, the great lion. Aslan is the King of the Beasts, and the real ruler of Narnia. When the children, Peter, Susan, Emond and Lucy, are talking to Mr. and Mrs. Beaver, trying to find out information about the land of Narnia which they have stumbled upon, Susan asks the beavers, "Is he (Aslan) safe?"

Mrs. Beaver says, "If there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly."

Lucy asks, "Then he isn’t safe?"

And Mr. Beaver says this famous line about Aslan: "’Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you."

Yet, this great and powerful and mighty God, a God to be feared and greatly respected, who deserves all the praise, worship and honor of all people throughout all time, shed His awesome appearance, His commanding presence, and came to earth as the most helpless of all God's creation - a tiny baby.

When Jesus walked the earth, He showed us the tenderness and gentleness of God. He did not thunder from a mountain and reign down awesome and terrible judgment on those who were doing wrong...as many of the religious leaders and some of His own followers asked Him to. Instead, He reached out and touched the leper and the prostitute, He asked for the little children to be brought to Him, He cared about  lack of wine at a wedding and hungry people on a hillside. His loving touched raised a daughter and a son to life and ultimately, His willingness to shed all His majesty and royalty and die on a torturous cross, raised each of us from death to life.

Yes, God is not safe. He is to be feared. But He is oh so good.

"You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear." But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."  Hebrew 12:18-24

The above commentary on Exodus is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree

When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. We need to step out in obedience and pray for them as God asks us to. 

Two great websites to help you do this are:

Unreached of the Day

Operation World  go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile

Another way to give is by giving a gift to those, throughout the world, who have very little. It might be a chicken, or sheep or a goat...maybe you can help pay for the digging of a well or provide a sewing machine to a widow so she can provide for her family. There are many ways to help this Christmas. Visit  Gospel for Asia and take a look at their Christmas Catalog. 

Jesse Tree - A Lamb Sacrificed (Day 11)

I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you.

Exodus 12:12-13

For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.  

1 Corinthians 5:7

Wednesday: Passover

Bible Reading: Exodus 12:1-13:42

Jesse Tree Symbol - Lamb (got to Jesse Tree Ornaments 2 and scroll down for lamb)

Passover is about so much more than just the Israelites many years ago. It describes the experience of the entire human race. 

When Adam and Eve sinned, they left the Promised Land, just as Jacob and his family had done, to go live in the world/Egypt...a land ruled by many gods. Quickly, the human race become bound to the devil with the chains of sin. Like the Israelites, they cried out for a Savior. 

Now God is a just and fair God. Evil must be punished. In Matthew 25:41, Jesus teaches about the reality of hell. He warns that hell is an eternal separation from God. It is a place of impenetrable darkness, uninterrupted pain, and unquenchable fire. He also warns that those who reject Him will spend eternity there. 

In Egypt, God's judgment came down upon the gods of the land and upon the people who worshipped and sacrificed to them. With the entire human race, God's judgment also comes down on those who have sinned and aligned themselves with the devil. 

However, just as the Lord, in His infinite grace, provided a sacrifice for the Israelites in Egypt, He provided a sacrifice for all the people of the world. A lamb...a perfect, spotless lamb. 

Jesus was that lamb. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" John 1:29

The blood of the lambs was used as a covering for the people of Israel in Egypt. "Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his house until morning. When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down."  Exodus 12:22-23

Just like the Passover lamb, the blood of Jesus Christ covers our sins and saves us from the ultimate judgment of the Lord God.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. Ephesians 2:13

How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:14

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.  1 Peter 1:18-19

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father-to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.  

Revelation 1:5-6

The above commentary on Exodus is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree

When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. We need to step out in obedience and pray for them as God asks us to. 

Two great websites to help you do this are:

Unreached of the Day

Operation World  go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile

Another way to give is by giving a gift to those, throughout the world, who have very little. It might be a chicken, or sheep or a goat...maybe you can help pay for the digging of a well or provide a sewing machine to a widow so she can provide for her family. There are many ways to help this Christmas. Visit  Gospel for Asia and take a look at their Christmas Catalog. 

Jesse Tree - A Burning Bush Experience (Day 10)

But Moses said, "O Lord, please send someone else to do it."

Exodus 4:13

And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:8

Tuesday: Obedience

Bible reading: Exodus 3:1 - 4:20

Jesse Tree Symbol: Burning Bush (go to Jesse Tree ornaments 2 and look for burning bush) 

Obedience - it can be done willingly or it can be done reluctantly. We ask our children to be willingly obedient and God expects the same thing of us.

The story of the burning bush and God's call on Moses' life shows us an unwilling follower, at least initially.

Moses had already lived a life set apart. Set apart from all the other Hebrew boys who had been killed, protected by the mighty hand of God; set apart from all the other boys as a prince in the house of the most powerful man in the world; set apart because the God of the Universe was now speaking to him from a burning bush; yet he was still reluctant.

"Who am I?" (3:11)

"What if they do not believe me or listen to me?" (4:1)

"I am slow of speech" (4:10)

"Please send someone else" (4:13)

It's easy to judge Moses and think we would have done differently. If God were speaking to me from a burning bush, surely I would obey readily. But would we?

We may not hear a voice from a burning bush, but we have something that Moses did not have. We have the Holy Spirit living within us. "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Matthew 3:11; Luke 3:16

We have the fire from the burning bush within us. The Holy Spirit is often compared to fire (Acts 2:3, Isaiah 6:6-7, Hebrews 1:7). That fire will not fade like the burning bush must have done once Moses left.

We also have the entire Bible. It clearly tells us what God expects of us. And we can learn much from His Word, including what a picture of willing obedience looks like. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Philippians 2:8

Jesus learned obedience. Obedience to God's will is something which we all have to learn over a period of time. Christ also had to go through this process of learning obedience to his Father, as any son has to. "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him" (Heb. 5:8,9). 

Life, from the time we are children, learning obedience to our parents, through adulthood as we learn obedience to God, is about our daily choices. Like Moses, we have a "burning bush" experience regularly whenever the Lord speaks to us from His Word or through His Spirit...an all-consuming fire. 

We can choose the path of willing obedience that Jesus shows us through His life, or the path of reluctant obedience that Moses showed at the burning bush. May we ask the Holy Spirit to help us choose well!

And just as food for thought: we have no idea what God has in store for us when we obey His call. 

Did Moses have any idea what he was getting into when he agreed to take the Lord's call? Could he see the Egyptian army closing in, and God parting the Red Sea through Moses' hand? Could he see the song of victory, the water from the rock, the manna from heaven, the battles won through prayer? Could he see the vision of God on Mount Sinai, the voice of God from heaven, the tablets of stone, the golden calf? Could he see the tabernacle built, the priests consecrated? Could he see the spies sent forth into Canaan, the response of unbelief, and a thirty-eight year sentence to wander the wilderness? Could he see a lonely climb to the top of Mount Pisgah, where he would die looking out over the land of promise? Could he see the honor of sitting beside the Lord on the Mount of Transfiguration? Did Moses have any idea what he was getting into?

However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" 1 Corinthians 2:9

The above commentary on Exodus is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree

When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. We need to step out in obedience and pray for them as God asks us to. 

Two great websites to help you do this are:

Unreached of the Day

Operation World  go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile

Another way to give is by giving a gift to those, throughout the world, who have very little. It might be a chicken, or sheep or a goat...maybe you can help pay for the digging of a well or provide a sewing machine to a widow so she can provide for her family. There are many ways to help this Christmas. Visit  Gospel for Asia and take a look at their Christmas Catalog. 

Jesse Tree -A God of Many Colors (Day 9)

Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. Genesis 37:3

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Genesis 50:20

Monday: God's Providence

Bible Reading: Genesis 37:1-36

Jesse Tree Symbol: coat of many colors (go to Jesse Tree ornaments)

The story of Joseph is so rich with meaning and lessons for all of us: God's protection and plan for Joseph, although so many times the outlook was bleak; Joseph's trust in and obedience to God despite persecution and hardship; God's use of His well-placed man to affect the greatest nation at that time; forgiveness of others no matter what has been done and the dangers of parental favoritism...just to name a few.

God allowed evil to befall Joseph in order to bring great good for many. This evil, however, may never have begun if Joseph's father, Jacob, had not shown such blatant favoritism to his son. Now Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made a richly ornamented robe for him. Genesis 37:3 

God is not that way. One of things that truly sets Christianity and our Savior apart is that His love is universal… His sacrifice is offered to all nations, all tribes, all languages and all people. Jesus calls all men and women to Himself. The blessing of His death and resurrection is for all the nations.

Thus, the coat of many colors can remind us that our God is a God of many colors. And we should be a people who love, not just our family and our neighbors and our nation, but the people of the world. They  will be our brothers and sisters in Heaven.

The above commentary on Genesis is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree

When you are finished today, you might want to discuss how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Today, over 2 billion people, 1/3 of the earth's population, have never heard the Gospel message. They don't know about a God who loves them, made them unique and celebrates who they are. They need our prayers. 

Two great websites to help you do this are:

Unreached of the Day

Operation World  go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile

Another way to give is by giving a gift to those, throughout the world, who have very little. It might be a chicken, or sheep or a goat...maybe you can help pay for the digging of a well or provide a sewing machine to a widow so she can provide for her family. There are many ways to help this Christmas. Visit  Gospel for Asia and take a look at their Christmas Catalog.