Journaling through the Bible: The Sea

“And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; 

and when the morning appeared, 

the sea returned to its full depth, 

while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. 

So the Lord overthrew the 

Egyptians in the midst of the sea.”

Exodus 14:27 NKJV

What a wonderful image this conjures up. God so loved his people that He protected them from the ten plagues – from waters that become blood, frogs, lice, flies, diseased livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and the death of the firstborn. He then helped them escape through a sea.

I once viewed a documentary that attempted to explain natural occurrences for each of the ten plagues. While this is all very interesting, I find that – even if everything can be explained scientifically, it does not take away from the wonder of the ten plagues. God still presented the Pharaoh with multiple opportunities to see why he should let Moses and his people go but the Pharaoh chose not to do so. These events are still wondrous as the Israelites escape Egypt.

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“So the children of Israel went into the midst of the Sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.”

Exodus 14:22 NKJV

This always reminds me of the scenes from The Prince of Egypt cartoon. Stunning. The wonder of God’s creations being held at bay to protect Moses and the Israelites.

This week I linked up with the following blog(s):

Journaling Through the Bible: Sand of the Sea

"For You said, 'I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'" 

Genesis 32:12 NKJV

When we think of sand, what images come to mind? Do you think of the beach? Time? Sand traveling through an hour glass?

When I read this passage, I thought about the idea that there will be many humans that will help populate our earth. People with different opinions who share their joy and sadness, their creativity, and their ideas with each other. Future friends and loved ones.

There is so much sand on our planet. As a child you may have asked, how many grains of sand are on the beach (or the earth)?  In the Bible, God says that the sand is too numerous to be counted or numbered. Well, apparently there are "7.5 x 1018 grains of sand, or seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion grains" according to a group of researchers at the University of Hawaii and science writer David Blatner. 

Like many others, the idea of counting sand makes me thinking of stars. When I hear about the multitude of sand or of descendants, I think of the multitude of stars in the sky.  This phrase always reminds me of one of my favorite songs from Les Miserables. I always felt like the song was Javert's prayer, pleading to God, for assistance in capturing Jean Valjean, who is merely a thief, a fugitive in Javert's eyes.

I also am reminded of the Edgar Allan Poe poem, A Dream Within a Dream.

I feel very fortunate that everything we see is not merely "a dream within a dream." We are destined for a better place after this sand-covered earth. So even though we 'weep,' face injustices (like Joseph did), and our descendants may not be as numerous as those of Jacob, we will find peace in Heaven. 

Journaling Through the Bible: Joseph's Dreams

"Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, 'Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me."

Genesis 37:9 NKJV

As much as I love reading the story of Joseph, I have always had trouble understanding why he continues to share his dreams when his brothers are obviously envious. Maybe Joseph is so innocent that he does not see their envy. Is Joseph only seeking the approval of his brothers and father when he shares these dreams? 

Why do we share our own dreams? Sometimes our dreams are funny and we want to share the laugh with a friend or loved one. Sometimes they are scary and talking about them makes them less scary. Perhaps sharing them helps others understand why we may be reacting differently to events than before we experienced the bad dream. But why does Joseph share the dreams that get him into so much trouble?

It seems like the sharing of his dreams begins the plotting against Joseph by his brothers. It really kicked the journey towards sin in the hearts of his brothers into high gear.

I think one needs to skip to the end of Genesis to see the end of the story to truly understand how it all would work out in the end.

"But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." Genesis 50:20 NKJV

Despite the brothers' envy and jealousy, if they had not sold their brother into slavery he might not have saved 'many people,' including his own family. I find it very probable that Joseph would not have journeyed to Egypt, become an aide to the Pharaoh, and planned for a future famine if he was not sold into slavery. Things really do have a way of working out.

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I have to admit that I am probably more familiar with the story of Joseph than other Old Testament stories thanks to the musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. I cannot even remember how many times I have seen it on the stage as well as viewing the film starring Donny Osmond.

"I dreamed I saw eleven stars,
The Sun the moon and sky,
Bowing down before my star..."
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat lyrics to Josephs' Dreams

Journaling Through the Bible: Rebekah

"But before I had finished speaking in my heart, there was Rebekah, coming out with her pitcher on her shoulder; and she went down to the well and drew water. And I said to her, 'Please let me drink.' And she made haste and let her pitcher down from her shoulder, and said, 'Drink, and I will give your camels a drink also.' So I drank, and she gave the camels a drink also."
Genesis 24: 45-46 

From my reading of Chapter 24 of Genesis, I took away two points: the importance of praying for assistance and serving with grace.

Abraham's servant prays to God that the next woman who comes to the well will "...'be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master's son.'" (Genesis 24:44) Too often in my life, I tend to forget to ask the Lord for help.  He is willing to provide answers.  I must remember to pray and ask. The Lord provided Abraham's servant with an answer to his prayer - a bride for Abraham's son.  The beautiful Rebekah goes willingly to marry Issac.

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The second key point that I took was: serving others with grace is very important.  Rebekah gladly serves Abraham's trusted servant, at his request.  She didn't just retrieve water for the servant but also for his ten camels who must have been thirsty as they were laden with bridal gifts.  Rebekah poured water for the servant and his camels  and showed her willingness to help others in her actions.  Serving others is sometimes taken for granted.  As a mom, I serve others all the time.  It seems endless but it is so important to serve others with grace.

(Tradition holds that Abraham's servant's name is Eliezer but there is not definitive proof that he is the same man mentioned in Genesis 15:2.)

How do you remember to ask for assistance?  When you serve others, do you remember to do so with grace?