“Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against Him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.”
~ Exodus 23:21
Hi James and Ellen,
Does your ma and/or dad often tell you to do and not to do something? Do you often feel like you would like to be the one who decides to do or not to do something instead of always having someone else telling you what you are to do and not to do? If you are not told what is good to do and not good to do, how will you know what is good to do and not good to do? Moses in Exodus 23 conveys some things that God wanted and did not want His specially chosen guys and gals to do and not to do. Two things that God through Moses told His specially chosen guys and gals not to do were to never lie and to never follow a mob of guys and gals who were planning on doing something devious. Two things that God through Moses told His specially chosen guys and gals to do were to work six days and then to rest on the seventh day and that they were to have three feasts each year at which times they were to bring and offer sacrifices to Him.
Do you think that there is an angel in the room with you right now? God over 3400 years ago sent an angel to help His specially chosen guys and gals. Your grandpaa believes that God has never stopped sending angels to help His specially chosen and elected guys, gals and kids. God used an angel – who was called Angel of the Lord, to guard His specially chosen guys, gals and kids as they made their way to the land that God had promised them that they would always have to live in as their very own land if . . . God in verse 21 gave several specific reasons why and how His specially chosen guys and gals were to respond to Angel of the Lord; “Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against Him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.” There are today guys and gals who think that the Angel of the Lord who led and guarded God’s specially chosen guys, gals and kids was actually God the Son incarnated as an angel. Your grandpaa believes that God has special angels who He uses at times to represent Him in certain situations. When your grandmaa and grandpaa were members of the Wilmington, Delaware Orthodox Presbyterian Church, your grandpaa helped put together from church members and attendees a team that played in a church softball league. Your grandmaa and grandpaa and your ma and dad were married in the Wilmington Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Your grandpaa one evening had to play in two softball games against two different softball teams. The two games were played on softball diamonds that were next to a place – a DuPont complex, where your grandpaa used to work. Your grandpaa that evening did really well. Your grandpaa hit one of the longest homeruns that evening that he had ever hit in his life. Your grandpaa hit another homerun where the ball sailed right between the left fielder and the center fielder and rolled and rolled and rolled. Your grandpaa hit another homerun that evening that went over the right fielder’s head. About the middle of the second game – with a couple of guys on base, your grandpaa hit a lazy fly ball to the left fielder – which was caught by the left fielder. Your grandpaa was not happy with himself that he had made an out. Your grandpaa remembers thinking at the time that someone else had swung the bat for him – even though grandpaa knew that he was the one who had swung the bat. If your grandpaa during a turn at bat grounded or flew out, your grandpaa normally would stay at first base as the first base coach, but this time because your grandpaa was really mad at himself for having made an out after having been doing so well, your grandpaa went behind the screen that was behind home plate to walk back to his bench which was on the third base side of the playing field. Just as your grandpaa got behind the screen, your grandpaa heard a loud scream. When your grandpaa looked up, your grandpaa saw a car bouncing down a series of terraced levels from a parking area located behind and above the backstop of the softball diamond where the game that your grandpaa was in was being played. Right behind the backstop were two little gals playing on a sand pile that was behind the backstop. The car was headed right for the little gals. Your grandpaa was maybe twenty feet from the car when your grandpaa saw the car. Your grandpaa ran up the terraces to the driver’s side of the car, pulled open the door and stepped on the brake – stopping the car before it hit the little gals. Your grandpaa remembers wondering what he should do next when your dad’s Uncle Darrell came up, pushed in the emergency brake and put the car into park. As your grandpaa stood their shaking, other ballplayers were pulling a guy out from under the front of the car. The guy was the second base umpire. The guy had seen his car bouncing down the series of terraces. The guy had run from the second base area to try and stop his car with his body but . . . the guy ended up with at least one broken rib.
Your grandpaa just happened to be in the exact right place at the exact right time to be the only guy or gal who could have stopped that car. Your grandpaa really believes that God had an angel swing your grandpaa’s bat so that your grandpaa would make an easy out so that your grandpaa would be so frustrated that . . . just as God’s specially chosen guys and gals were taught by God to listen to His voice and what He wanted, your grandpaa is learning that if he really wants to have God’s blessings in His life, your grandpaa needs to listen to God’s voice and to do or not to do what God’s voice is telling your grandpaa. Your grandpaa is hoping that you will never forget that what your ma and/or dad tell you to do and not to do really is God telling you what you are to do and not to do. As you grow older, you will have God the Spirit always impressing on you what God the Father wants you to do and not to do.
Exodus 23 (240)