Exodus: The Value of Socks

 

The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, so that when I see the blood I will pass over you, and this plague will not fall on you to destroy you when I attack the land of Egypt.  Genesis 12:13

 Do you need a sign that you are loved? Sometimes we feel all alone in this world. Sometimes we feel like we don’t matter. Sometimes we feel like we aren’t worthy of feeling loved and cared for. Praise God that He knew in advance that we would feel that way and He has already provided an answer!

 My son needs socks. That’s probably not the sentence you were expecting to come next in this narrative but bear with me. For a long time now he has been wearing socks that don't fit. You see, he has big feet. He has super, man-sized feet! He typically wears a shoe size of 14. Regular socks don’t fit him, and it takes a little extra effort to find the ones that do. Not wanting to make an issue out of things or make anyone feel bad, he’s been wearing socks that are WAY too small for years. When I heard about this, do you know what I did? I bought him socks. I’m his mom, of course I’m going to do that! But guess what? They didn’t fit. I think God did that on purpose because he needed to learn a lesson here, and maybe I did too. I didn’t just buy the socks, I followed up and pressed to see if they were a good fit, and when it turned out they weren’t, I tried again. I researched the socks more thoroughly this time and avoided the “slim fit” note. This time I bought men’s socks size 12-15. Yes, I double checked, and it said shoe size, not sock size. For all intents and purposes they should fit great, but guess what? You got it, they didn’t fit! Again, I think this was a God thing, not a sock thing so I won’t put the brand on here, but it was a good one. Because they didn’t fit again, we got to have a conversation about socks, about his preferences, his likes and dislikes. I learned that he typically bought socks at Costco and he preferred white socks. So, I went online and ordered him white socks from Costco in the men’s extended size. Here’s hoping the third time’s the charm, but regardless, I will keep trying to help him find the right socks because HE’S WORTH IT!

 Back in Genesis we learned that we were made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). I don’t think that means we just look like Him, I think that means we have many of His characteristics, including having both a body, mind and spirit. One of God’s characteristics is that He likes some things and dislikes others, and we are no different. I very much believe that God made us this way on purpose, and for a purpose. By giving us the ability to like and dislike things, to have preferences, He gave Himself the ability to bless us in those ways. He doesn’t just give us food to eat, He gives us food we like. I get to wake up each morning and have a cup of coffee, and let me tell you, that makes me feel loved! God didn’t just give us any old place to live, He let me pick it out, He helped me to find just the place that would draw me closer to Him and be a haven for my family to grow up in and return to. And with my husband’s job (remember, he’s been out of work for six months now), I believe God will give him not just a job to pay the bills, but one where he feels valued and fulfilled. I believe that God has the perfect job out there for him and he will find it in God’s perfect timing. I believe that God cares about my husband, and me, enough that He wants us to be happy, and He knows the best way to bring that about!

 So, getting to our verse for today, we’re looking at the plagues of Egypt and how God went about setting His people free. Could God have changed Pharoah’s heart initially and just had the people go free right away? Of course He could! But He didn’t. That should tell us something. In Exodus chapters 3 and 4, God presents Moses with his mission. He tells Moses to go tell Pharoah to set His people free. And how does Moses respond? He argues with God! He says, “What if” over and over again. Finally, in Exodus 4:13, he begs God to send anyone else. This makes God angry, we know that because it says so in verse 14, but instead of smiting Moses, instead of writing him off and starting over with someone else who would obey better, He gives Moses a helper in his brother, Aaron. He tells Moses that Aaron will speak for him, but that ultimately Moses will still be representing God to Pharoah. God knew what His people, both the Israelites of old and the worldwide Church today, would need in order to learn the lesson He was trying to teach us. God knew what number and type and order of plagues it would take to get His point across. He could have started with the plague of the firstborn. He could have skipped the whole Passover lamb bit. But He knew that we needed that picture of Christ in this deliverance story. God knew which houses His people lived in, but He also knew that we had to have a part in this tale through painting the blood of the lamb on the doorposts of their houses. He knew that His people would need the reminder of the Passover symbolism and traditions. He knew that the blood of the Passover lamb would be echoed later in the blood of the perfect Lamb, His Son, Jesus.

Here's the Thing: God doesn’t just care about getting the thing done, buying the socks, getting the job, He cares that we get what we need out of it. He cares about what will be meaningful to us. He cares about making us feel loved, seen and of value.