May I Loot Your House, Please?

Good foggy morning from down here in the South Platte River valley! Praise God for the rain yesterday! I didn't know what to do. I needed 4 little boards, but it was raining. Cardboard? Forget about it. We had steady rain such as we have not seen for months. The Lord sent us rain, and I had forgotten how to change plans for a rainy day. And still I praised God several times for the rain. It was wonderful! Speaking of mighty works of the Lord, imagine that you need some travelling money for a sudden move. Naturally, you walk over to the neighbor's house and ask for his gold and silver. Yes, I know, even if your neighbors are willing you probably come back empty handed. Not many of us can boast of much gold and silver these days. In ancient times though, that was all of their money. Imagine just for a moment going to the house next door and asking, "I need to go west, may I loot your house, please?" Next, imagine that the Lord gave the word that this would happen and the neighbor lets you in and hands you all of his cash and his best stuff. What? Yet, that is what happened when the Exodus from Egypt began. The Hebrew wives went to their neighbors and graciously looted their homes.

This had to be the nicest looting in all of history. The Lord did not command any theft. He both foretold the asking and commanded it when the moment arrived. We help each other out in times of need, but this was unprecedented. Try it out on your neighbor next Saturday. "I'm going to church in the morning, may I take all of your loot?" You can imagine the answer. Of course, we have not been commanded by God to do this. There was no Wal-Mart in the desert where the Israelites were going. In time, the Lord would use the gold and silver to construct a nice temple and some really spiffy temple accessories. However, at the time the Hebrew wives left Egypt quite wealthy. This was not 'easy' money though. I have often thought of it as back pay for the years of slavery. That does not reduce the wonder of the Lord's hand at work though. "Before you leave, go and ask the neighbors for their gold and silver." For some reason, the Israelites had no trouble believing this one. Later they would grumble and complain at every opportunity, even to the point of wanting to go back to Egypt. Maybe they forgot that little looting thing? We may never know for sure.

Have a wonderful new day in Christ!
Bucky