Ellen Chauvin | Soaked & Sprouting

Soaked in God's Word, Sprouting Seeds of Faith

Going Home & Coming Home: Exodus and Ezra

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This month marks the tenth anniversary of this blog! Ten years! God has been so faithful to provide. To celebrate, I am playing “re-runs” of some of my favorite blogs. I hope you enjoy them – again ?

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This blog post is a “Bible Bite” – a short and tasty tidbit from God’s Word. Today, we’ll be talking about going home and coming home. Let’s begin in Exodus.

“I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.” Exodus 3:21-22 NASB

God knew Pharaoh wouldn’t let the Hebrew people go easily. Pharaoh wouldn’t give them anything for their journey home, either. He was a meanie! But God! He provided for His people. The material the Israelites plundered and carried out of Egypt became part of what they used to construct the tabernacle. God sent them on their way with building supplies.

I image the Egyptians were happy to provide what was needed. After all, they’d been subject to God’s plagues: Bloody water, frogs, gnats, flies, diseased livestock, boils, hail and fire, locusts, darkness and finally the unthinkable-death of the first born child in each family. Horrors! I would’ve kicked them out too! Get out! And don’t come back!

Next, we have the Israeli exiles returning from Babylon. They had been captives for 70 years. Slaves in servitude, like their forefathers in Egypt. After 70 years, God stirred the heart of King Cyrus to allow the exiles to go home and rebuild.

Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed long ago when Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to the city and surrounding area. The Hebrew people would be freed slaves, traveling with nothing, going home to nothing. Zilch. Zero.

But God.

“‘Every survivor, at whatever place he may live, let the men of that place support him with silver and gold, with goods and cattle, together with a freewill offering for the house of God which is in Jerusalem.’ All those about them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle and with valuables, aside from all that was given as a freewill offering. Also King Cyrus brought out the articles of the house of the LORD, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and put in the house of his gods;” Ezra 1:4, 6-7 NASB

God provided, so His people could come home and rebuild His temple. Going and coming, building or rebuilding, God will provide all you need. Amen and amen!

What a beautiful story of God’s faithfulness!

 

Bucee’s & Elijah

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“There it is! That’s our exit! And look, it has a giant Bucee’s! Now we can grab a quick bite to eat before the conference.”

“More important, we can take a bathroom break!”

Bucee’s (pronounced BUCK-ez) is the absolute best road trip stop EVER. The bathrooms are clean. They have a variety of foods: fast food, junk food, fruit cups, cheese and crackers, BBQ sandwiches and more. They have snacks and groceries. The bathrooms are clean. You can tank up your car. And the bathrooms are clean. VERY CLEAN. That means a lot to us women folk.

The only downside to Bucee’s? The crowds. There are people everywhere. Bucee’s is popular, especially around lunch time. And that is exactly when Paige and I got there. 

 

The force of the crowd carried us along like an airport moving walkway. Inside, the crowd dispersed, some going to snacks, most going to the (very clean) restrooms. 

We meandered over to the t-shirt area. I wandered to the left, Paige to the right. Then I heard it:

“Aunt Ellen. Aunt Ellen.” A low whisper behind me. Had I been in a haunted house, I would have gotten the heebie jeebies. But I was in a crowded Bucee’s two states away from home, and not anywhere near any people I knew.

Thern, I heard it again. The quiet, hushed voice:

“Aunt Ellen, Aunt Ellen.”

Someone in Bucee’s must have an aunt with the same name as mine. Either that, or my subconscience was talking to me. And, if so, why was she calling me “aunt?” I couldn’t understand why she was talking to me at all. I hadn’t done anything that needed reprimanded. Had I?

“Aunt Ellen!”

I finally turned to the side a bit. Lo and behold, it WAS someone I knew: my great niece! She lived one state away from the Bucee’s we were in. What are the odds of seeing her there, much less hearing her sweet, almost a whisper, voice?

I am reminded of Elijah in 1 Kings. Elijah looked for God in the mighty wind, powerful earthquake and burning fire. But God was not there. It was not until Elijah heard the low whisper that he realized God was speaking to him. 

God’s work is not always done in a big, noisy way. And His voice is not always loud and booming. Sometimes it is a still, small whisper.

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. 1 Kings 19:11-12 ESV

Lord, give us ears to hear!