There’s also a great scene in season 2 of The Simpsons that depicts a group of Israelites making a habit of things like stealing, adultery, and graven image making, until Moses comes and says “uh, God says we can’t do those things anymore.” (Because of copyright issues, you can’t get that clip on YouTube.)

Both clips point to two important things about the ten commandments:  They’re one of the most famous parts of the Bible, and they don’t actually stand alone.  Sometimes we hear so much on the news and even in church about the ten commandments that we forget they are a part of a longer speech by God. Look quickly at the next couple of chapters of Exodus: God has more to say than just this set of rules.

• Why do you think these ten came first?
• If God gave so many rules, why do you think we treat these ten as special?
• As you keep reading this year, keep looking at what kinds of rules God gives to people, and when, and why. Notice which rules the people of God keep talking about a lot throughout Scripture and which ones don’t come up much. Think about why this might be true.

No one is really sure where Mount Sinai is, or what it looks like, or anything like that. What we do know is that when the Bible tells us that we are at, on, or around Mount Sinai, we are probably in for something big and holy and important.  In this case, a new covenant, clarifying or renewing the covenants God made with Noah and Abraham.

We know that a covenant is an agreement between two people or groups about how they will behave toward one another, and sometimes how they will behave in other places.

• Without looking ahead, think about what you would expect God to put into a covenant with God’s people. How do you think God wants people to treat each other? to think about themselves? to be with God?

How do I know? Because you are taking it upon yourself to read the Bible and think about it, to let God work on you and shape you. That means that you are setting a good example for others and preparing yourself for God to use you in bigger and bigger ways as you go through your life.  That’s what a leader does.

So I recommend that you mark this passage in Exodus – highlight it in your Bible, write it out and put it on your wall, hide a copy in your journal, whatever. Just put it where you’ll find it again.  Because if you are a leader, chances are good that someday you will wake up and find that you are putting out other people’s fires, solving their problems from morning to night, and choosing what’s next by what comes up and yells in your face “HEY! PAY ATTENTION TO ME!”

And it is possible that you, like Moses, might get bogged down in trying to fix things for people and miss out on some chances to lead in big ways. And then you will want to go back and read this passage, and remember that you need help. That every leader needs help. Otherwise, the things that yell in your face will take over, and the quiet, important things will slip away from you.

• Is there a place in your life where you already think of yourself as a leader? How can you share that leadership with others?
• Is there a place in your life where you expect other people to fix problems for you? How can you begin finding solutions to those problems yourself? (Hint: it is really easy to expect this of our parents, no matter how old we are…)

This is the pattern of just about every TV commercial you will ever see. Arnold has bad credit/bad breath/bad clothes. Arnold asks the sky/his wife/his friend for help. The celebrity endorser/his wife/his friend says “Here! This product will solve all your problems!” Arnold not only now has good credit/good breath/good clothes, but also a remarkable sense of peace/joy/popularity/wealth.

Usually, part two of the story goes like this: Betty sees commercial. Betty goes and buys the product. Betty may or may not now have good credit/good breath/good clothes, but does not find that all her life’s problems are solved.  Right?

Now take a look at this story. Israel has no water. Israel complains about having no water. God says “Here! Here is some water, because I am with you.”

Same pattern, except for two things: the story of God and God’s people never ends, and God can actually provide all those things that commercial products can’t.   Whatever it might have meant to the people who originally heard the story, in our world today, it’s a great reminder that God is the only one who can actually fix our broken lives.

• Have you ever bought something because the commercial made it look so great, and then been disappointed? What was that like?
• Why do you think people believe so easily that a new product will solve everything?
• Is there anything in your life you wish God would fix? If you haven’t, try asking. (Sometimes God doesn’t answer as quickly or in the way we would like, but it’s always worth asking.) See what happens.

In politics, maybe, that makes sense. But now the people of Israel are treating Moses and Aaron and God like politicians! “Sure, you freed us from Pharaoh. But what have you done for us lately?”  The grass is looking greener back in Egypt.

• Why do you think they feel this way?
• How have you experienced this “what have you done for me lately?” way of life, either in how you’ve approached someone else or how they’ve treated you?
• Why do you think it’s hard for people to stay grateful for past gifts?

This is one of the most important stories we have – the story of how God led the Israelites out from slavery to freedom (and conquered a mighty military power in the process). At the Easter Vigil service, when we tell the big story of who we are as Christians, this chapter of Exodus is the only chapter in the whole Old Testament that MUST be read. Everything else changes from year to year, but this one stays, always.

• Why do you think this is true? What makes this chapter so important in our story as Christians (sometimes called salvation history)?
• Why do you think this story is important for us as people of faith today? What meaning does the exodus have for you?

Well, maybe, but take a look at what Pharaoh says and does as opposed to what the other Egyptians say and do. The Egyptians are grieving, they say “We are all dead men”, and they load up the Israelites with silver and gold and clothing (after all, what do dead men need with riches?).

But Pharaoh still wants to keep control. He says “Go and worship – but bless me.” It’s not clear whether the Israelites are supposed to bless him as they leave or while they are sacrificing to God, but it’s clear that Pharaoh still doesn’t quite get it.  He still thinks he is in charge.

• Why do you think Pharaoh still doesn’t get it?
• Do you think there is anything that would convince Pharaoh that he isn’t in charge?

The First Passover – The Tenth Plague on Egypt

The first Passover and the tenth plague on Egypt – the death of the firstborn in
free Bible art. Beautifully visual Bible lessons.

I’m guessing that they use the same descriptors no matter what the story is, but it got me thinking about the way we “pretty up” Bible stories and how much of the meaning we lose in the process.  The first passover wasn’t just a happy family meal with fancy prayers, and I’m guessing the death of the Egyptian firstborn wasn’t beautiful.

• Why do you think we try to make Bible stories safe and pretty?
• What effect do you think it has on the way we understand the story? On how we understand God?
• What would you say if you were writing this description?

Which makes it a great time to look back and think about the plagues as a whole set.   It’s taken us several days to read through them all, longer than we’ve spent on most other events.  And it didn’t have to be written that way – the narrator could have just said “And God sent one plague after another – blood, frogs, lice, etc. – but Pharaoh didn’t let them go until all of Egypt’s firstborn were dead.”

• Why do you think we have such a long story about the plagues?
• How might the story of the plagues still have the power to affect our faith today?
• How might our faith be different if we did not have the story of the plagues?

Got an image or two? Good.

Now check out the way the moviePrince of Egypt portrays the plagues:

• How does this version of the story compare with the version in your mind?
• If you were writing the script for this movie, what would your version look like?

(Credit where credit is due: most of the ideas behind yesterday and today’s posts came from a book called Scary, Gross, and Weird Bible Stories.)