January 28th, 2010

Exodus 19-20, Matthew 18:21-25

Moses goes up Mt. Sinia and receives instructions from God. The people of Israel are warned not to set foot on the mountain, lest they be killed.

I can only imagine that someone said, 'Yeah, Right Sure' 'What's he gonna do?' I also imagine that it only took one... Remember, this is the God that delivers on his promises, so more than likely the people of Israel now had the Fear of God put into them and aren't going to stray from the chosen path... at least for a while.

Moses goes back up the mountain and returns with the Ten Commandments (Cecil B. DeMille, Charlton Heston etc). Simple rules to live by... A couple of things you have to do and a few that you aren't allowed... and God makes it clear that He will remember those who don't follow the rules.

Simple Rules to live by... No long cumbersome statutes. No complex laws that change with the political tide... ten simple rules.

If people would follow these simple commandments... we would all be better off...

Adam Smith (Wealth of Nations) listed his three natural laws of economics... Self-interest, Competition & Supply and Demand...

It is in our own self-interest to follow these rules.

We will always compete, but there is no competition for God's favor...it is always there.

In this instance the Supply will always meet the Demand...

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And what is with that whole nakedness on the altar thing? (Ex 20:26)

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Matthew 18:21-25

The Bad Servant...

Forgiveness is never easy... It may take years to work through some problems, but work through them we must. If we expect God forgiveness, we have to practice forgiveness.

Forgetting though just doesn't happen, at least until we get old-timers.

There have been a couple of people who really hurt me... and did it intentionally. I will never forget the harm they caused... I am Irish, we never forget... but that is in the past and while I will never understand fully WHY they did hurtful things, I cannot old too much of a grudge (it is the Irish thing).

Would I go out of my way today to bring revenge down on their pointy little heads? Not on your life... I figure the Big Guy upstairs will handle the whole retribution thing...