God is honest and orderly and having having faith in God.
Dear Azy, Rumi, and Ari,
Last week, I told you the story of Abraham and God’s promise to him that he would have as many descendants as stars in the sky. Well, one of Abraham’s kids was Jacob and through him there came 12 tribes of Hebrews/Israelites. These families lived in Egypt and became slaves to the pharaoh, king of Egypt. God has promised Abraham he would take care of his people, the Israelites. When they cried out for help, God choses Moses to help being them out of Egypt and take them to the promised land. They Egyptians believed in multiple Gods and worshipped statues called idols. God sent 8 different signs, each one designed to beat one of the pharaoh Gods so the Egyptians could see he was the one true God. This made pharaoh give up and asked the Israelites to leave. But as Moses and the Israelites left, pharaoh changed his mind and chased after them. So God parted the red sea, opening up the waters for the Israelites to cross over. When they were all the way across, he had the waters crash down on Pharaoh and his soldiers as they attempted to cross.
So the first lesson is there is one God. While people back then, and even now, worship different Gods and idols, we have one true living God. These signs were his way of proving to the Israelites, and us, he exists and was their to free the people from slavery. Once they crossed, God came up with rules, called 10 commandments, and a set of instructions, so the people knew who he was, how to worship him,and how to have a relationship with one another.
Back then, people worshipped their Gods in different ways. So God made it simple by communicating what they would do and say. Our God is honest and orderly. All his rules were made to take care of the people and be fair. But while Moses was on the mountain, the people were stuck in the desert and missing their old lives of being slaves and having idols. So they built a golden calf and started worshipping it.
The lesson here is God performs all these miracles for us. And sometimes, we forget about him as we go about our lives and maybe had gotten used to doing things and people in the past that didn’t worship God. It’s important that we don’t forget what he does for us every day, from our health, to being able to live, to having a family that loves and cares for us. So as things come up in your lives, don’t forget about all the amazing things God has done for us. This includes the sun, to keep us warm, the bodies we have, the air we breathe without having to think about it, and the water we drink.
Then God told them it was time to go from the desert to the promised land. There was no food for the Israelites to eat in the desert. So God made it rain food, what they called manna, each day so they had plenty to eat. Once they got close to the promised land, they send out 10 scouts into the promised land to see what was there. Eight of the scouts said the land was filled with giants and did not have any food putting the people into fear. But two of the scouts, Joshua and Caleb, told the people the land was filled with milk and honey and there were giants but nothing that God wouldn’t help them overcome. But the Israelites did not listen to Joshua and Caleb and spend another 40 years roaming the desert too afraid to go into the land that God has promised them.
The lesson here is there will be many times in your life where the challenge seems too hard. Or you might be scared of the unknown. First, realize you’re never along because God is always with you. Two, like Caleb and Joshua, who had faith in God, you realize with him all things are possible. And no giants or anyone can stand a chance when you’re on the side of God, as you will see with the story of David, we’ll share on a another day. In fact, once the Israelites were able to get past their fear and have faith to cross the Jordan river into the promised land, Joshua was chosen as their leader.
Next time I’ll tell you the story of how Joshua helped the Israelites conquer the promised land by being strong and courageous and obedient, or listening to God, and following his orders.
Love you all very much!
Love,
Daddy
3/8/25
