Tag Archives: Moses

Fasting together: Keeping mercy for thousands

Praying that you are being strengthened in your fasting and praying. Don’t forget to spend time in the Word! Fasting opens your eyes and understanding so you can see more clearly and hear HIS voice. You can read any posts you have missed this month here.

“And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin…” Exodus 34:5-7 KJV.

The children of Israel kept Moses busy, very busy. Continually breaking the rules, Jehovah would want justice and Moses would “stand in the gap”, intercede and literally beg for God to give them another chance. And as we see in the above verse, the LORD was continually forgiving, “keeping mercy for thousands…”

So, there he was on the Mount a second time, he had already broken the Tablets containing the Ten Commandments the first time God had handwritten them. He was back up there alone. Joshua was waiting a few hundred feet down the mountain and Aaron was in charge back at home.

“And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.” Exodus 34:28 KJV.

Forty days and forty nights!

No bread. No water. This isn’t a Daniel Fast. Many might ask, “Did Moses really feel the effects of the fast since he was with God?” We do know when Jesus fasted that the Bible says afterward, that He was hungry. Moses was human so he surely was hungry as well.

The results of the fast showed the effect it was having on Moses. “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.” Exodus 34:29 KJV.

His face was shining with the glory of God! Maybe it was not just the result of seeing God because the Bible says that the nobles and the elders also saw God in some form or fashion when they all first went up on the Mount. (Exodus 24:9-11). But Moses had been fasting, denying his flesh and his focus was God and God alone.

The people could not even stand to look at Moses because of the glory of God, and as a result, He had to keep a veil on his face when he spoke to the people. He could only take it off when he went into the temple to minister to the Lord. “When Moses finished speaking with them, he covered his face with a veil.” Exodus 34:33 NLT.

What do we look like after we have been with God?

What do others see after we have spent time with the Savior?

Is there a difference?

Is there a light on our faces of the glory of God?

Should there be?

Yet again, shouldn’t there be something about us that will draw others to us and point them to Christ?

Fasting, praying and spending time in His Word is what will continually build a relationship with the Savior and will radiate His glory.

They will also notice it if we DON’T do it.

We might not actually see God face to face, but we can spend time with Him every day, in His glory, in His presence. We can have the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, dwelling IN us, with us, ALIVE!

Let us be like Moses: fasting and praying on a regular basis is definitely good Christian character-building.

We can give back by giving our lives as a sacrifice, wholly consecrated and fully devoted, reaching for the lost, keeping mercy for thousands, and living full of joy and hope and watching for His return.

Don’t forget to grab your copy of The Daniel Fast Devotional! Good for any fast, it is a great, simple read with devotions for every day of a three week fast. Get yours on Amazon here!

3 Days to Forgetfulness

1 Reply

The greatest joys and hopes are soon turned into the greatest griefs and fears with those that live by sense only, and not by faith. ~ Matthew Henry

“When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers rushed into the sea, the Lord brought the water crashing down on them. But the people of Israel had walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground! Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced.” Exodus 15:19, 20 NLT.

Victory! The Lord had triumphed over the Egyptians by swallowing them up in the Red Sea. The Israelites had finally been delivered from captivity and they were now FREE. They recuperated a couple of days on the banks of the sea and then Moses began to lead:

“Then Moses led the people of Israel away from the Red Sea, and they moved out into the desert of Shur. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water. When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink. So they called the place Marah (which means “bitter”).

Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded.”

Three days. Three days from the time they left the Red Sea until they were complaining. Naturally they were thirsty, they would have likely traveled about 12-15 miles per day and not only did the people need water but so did their livestock.

But hadn’t they just witnessed a supernatural miracle? Had they not just seen the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob part the mighty Red Sea and destroy the enemy when it seemed all hope was lost?

The Bible shares with us a total of 14 different times that the Israelites grumbled and complained. There were likely more than that in 40 years of wilderness wandering but only 14 are recorded.

Check it out!

Moses has caused Pharaoh to make their work more difficult. Exodus 5:1-22
They complain that it was better in Egypt and ask to be left alone. Exodus 14:11-12
They complain about the bitter water at Marah. Exodus 15:22
They complain because they are hungry and are given Manna. Exodus 16:1-4
They are thirsty again! Exodus 17:1-4
They complain that Moses was on Mount Sinai too long and make themselves a golden calf to worship. Exodus 32:28
Griping about the food again. Numbers 11:33
Miriam and Aaron complain that they want to be in charge. Numbers 12:1-12
They complain because it is just too hard. Numbers 14:1-10
They want another leader…again. Numbers 14:10
Korah leads a rebellion to replace Moses. Numbers 16
They accused Moses of causing the death of so many people. Numbers 16:41
No water. (When will they ever learn?) Numbers 20:1-5
They grow impatient with the journey. Numbers 21:4-5

Can we point our finger at the children of Israel when we imitate them so closely?

Click To Tweet

How many times do we doubt and worry, fret and wring our hands wondering when and how the difficulties in our lives will work out?

We pray, yes, we pray but we don’t leave it there, we don’t trust and we don’t fully surrender our problems to the Lord.

Just as the children of Israel, we forget what God has done in the past and live only in the moment. If we don’t see the miracle directly in front of us then doubt creeps in, worry takes over and we find ourselves in Complaint Mode because we are walking by SIGHT, not by FAITH.

What can we do?

Remind yourself of His promises by staying in the Word. Remember that if God delivered you once He can do it again and again. If the very hairs on your head are numbered then nothing is impossible with God!

Begin your day in prayer, surrendering your will, your heart and your tongue to Him. Taking the time to communicate with the Creator of the world means everything when it comes to attitude. If we want to emulate Him then we have to spend time with Him. Did you know Jesus isn’t negative? If we strive to be like Him we can get rid of the negativity in our lives.

Fill your day with positive things. As the old adage says, “Garbage in, garbage out” so what we put into our minds is what will flow back out. Think on these things whether it is the books you read, social media sites you visit, movies you watch, or music you listen to.

Surround yourself with positive people. Negative people bring you down and definitely rub off on you. If your circle of friends is known for their gossip, slander and negativity, then you will be known for that too! “Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” Proverbs 13:20 ESV.

So if you find yourself facing a situation that seems impossible, remember that you may not be able to control people or events but you can control how you respond. Knowing that Jesus has made a way through the cross, that His name has been applied to your life, that you are a child of the King increases your faith that He will be there the next time and the next. His mercies are new every morning, great is His faithfulness!

Sharing with A Little R & R, Wedded Wednesday, Wholehearted Wednesday, Women with Intention

The Daniel Fast: Face to Face with God

“And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” Exodus 33:11 KJV.

Poor Moses. He couldn’t leave his congregation for any matter of time before they were breaking all the rules.

As soon as they would get themselves in trouble, the Lord would want to punish them, or even wipe them off the planet, and Moses would “stand in the gap”, intercede and literally beg for God to give them another chance.

So, there he was on the Mount a second time, he had already broken the Tablets containing the Ten Commandments the first time God had handwritten them. He was back up there alone. Joshua is waiting a few hundred feet down the mountain and Aaron is in charge back at home.

Forty days and forty nights!

The results of the fast showed the effects it was having on Moses. “And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of testimony in Moses’ hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses wist not that the skin of his face shone while he talked with him.” Exodus 34:29 KJV.

What do I look like after I have been with God?

What do people see after I have spent time with the Savior?

Is there a difference in me; is there a light on my face from the glory of God?

Should there be?

Shouldn’t there be something about us that will draw others and point them to Christ?

Click To Tweet

And if it isn’t the fact that we have been in HIS PRESENCE, then what is it?

Fasting, praying and spending time in His Word is what will continually build a relationship with the Savior and will radiate His glory.

They will also notice it if we DON’T do it.

We might not actually see God face to face, but we can spend time with Him every day, in His glory, in His presence. We can have the spirit of God dwelling with us, IN US, ALIVE!

Let us be like Moses. Fasting and praying on a regular basis is definitely good Christian character-building.

We can give back by giving our lives as a sacrifice, wholly consecrated and fully devoted, reaching for the lost and living full of joy and hope; watching for His return.

Tag Archives: Moses

Fasting together: Keeping mercy for thousands

Like this: