As the group going through my Family History Bootcamp last week realized – and agreed it was their goal – we don’t just want the birth, marriage and death dates of our ancestors. We want to know more of their daily lives, their thoughts and values, life lessons and experiences. We want to “know” them as best we can.
Then who comes on the scene to “underscore” this thought? None other than my favorite devotional author, Henry Blackaby. He quoted this scripture – “He revealed His ways to Moses, His deeds to the people of Israel.” Psalm 103:7
Of course, Blackaby phrased it so personally – which I truly need – so I didn’t miss the point. He asked, “Are you satisfied with merely knowing the acts of God, or do you also want to know His ways?”
Of course, the Israelites step up to be our best demo of how NOT to behave! I know I fall into their camp far too often. They certainly witnessed these amazing miracle acts –
**walking across the dry Red Sea just as Moses did
**eating manna and quail from heaven just as Moses did
**having water start pouring from a rock just as Moses did
**having sandals and goods that did not wear out (over 40 years) just as Moses did
**and so much more
If you remember the early miraculous acts Moses did before Pharaoh (staff turning to snake), the Egyptian magicians were able to perform similar acts by “their secret arts” (Exodus 7:11-12), but NO ONE else did things the way God did. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh as God had directed him and Moses, and it turned to a snake. Then the Egyptian magicians threw down their staffs which also became snakes. BUT, Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs!! Shazam! God is amazing.
However, the Israelites focused on the “acts” which fits the scripture saying that God revealed His “deeds” to the people of Israel and they were content to receive God’s provisions without ever knowing God Himself. But Blackaby made a very insightful point – the way God acted provided a window into His nature.
And it was Moses who wanted to see in that window. Moses wanted to experience more – to experience God Himself, not just God’s activity.
It is true that some of us today, like the Israelites, are content to experience God’s activity without ever coming to know God. As Blackaby points out, many today are blessed by God’s providential care over their families, their homes, and their jobs, yet they are satisfied not knowing the One from whom all blessings come – they benefit from God’s protection, yet they never become acquainted with the Protector.
This is so understandable when I put it next to our experience as we were constructing our family history “bucket” albums with their photos and birth certificates and data details going in them.
Let me illustrate. I am plagued by knowing “who” my great-great-grandfather was in the way of his character and beliefs and life choices. If I really “knew” him and the flow of his life from age 19 being in the U.S. Army Cavalry fighting Indians and guiding settlers, through his getting married then joining the Civil War at age 25 as a Texas Confederate Cavalryman which added 2 years of fighting in horrible conditions and then a year in a Union prison. Then having 14 children along the way (10 lived to adulthood). And then, at age 89, when he died, his obituary tells of him being an itinerant preacher and I learned he was a charter member of the Bethel Baptist Church in his area.
What happened in between? Who was he – really? What events and situations shaped him, how did it shape him, how would his friends describe him and his character, what direction and advice would he give me if I were able to sit by his side before he left this earth? Oh, how I long to know.
Then Blackaby really nails it – and I am so getting the connection now between my penchant for family history work and my need for a personal relationship with my Lord. Here’s his question and his summation – may they bless you as they have me:
Have you come to know God more personally as a result of your experiences with Him? As you observe the acts of God, look beyond them to the revelation of His character – he pointed to these scriptures:
(Genesis 22:14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided’.)
(John 6:35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty”.)
Let’s dig deeper into the lives of those ancestors, and definitely into our relationship with our Lord!
P.S. In case you missed the live course of my Family History Bootcamp, you have one more week to purchase the video replays and full course of downloads. Replays end June 9. Check it out at Bootcamp – Candy McCune
