1 Corinthians 7
7 Now I will answer the questions that you asked in your letter. You asked, “Is it best for people not to marry?” [Or “married couples not to have sex.]” 2 Well, having your own husband or wife should keep you from doing something immoral. 3 Husbands and wives should be fair with each other about having sex. 4 A wife belongs to her husband instead of to herself, and a husband belongs to his wife instead of to himself. 5 So don’t refuse sex to each other, unless you agree not to have sex for a little while, in order to spend time in prayer. Then Satan won’t be able to tempt you because of your lack of self-control. 6 In my opinion that is what should be done, though I don’t know of anything the Lord said about this matter. 7 I wish that all of you were like me, but God has given different gifts to each of us.
Richard: This is the same Rheama I got 6 days ago, so it must be important!
Psalm 44
7 But you saved us
from our hateful enemies,
Moses
1. Moses’ Zeal to Liberate His People
Teachings or Reverend Sun Myung Moon
When Moses lived in the palace amidst opulence and splendor, he did not live a carefree life. He did not enjoy eating sumptuous meals or wearing luxurious clothes. Whether eating, dressing or sleeping, he was always thinking about the Israelites. Among all the Israelites, only Moses maintained an unchanging heart of loyalty toward God, even though his people did not recognize it.
You might think that Moses is a person with a bad temper, but the fury that Moses felt when he saw the Egyptian beating the Israelite was not some sudden impulse of the moment. When he saw that sight, his inner heart of sorrow with which he had appealed to Heaven on behalf of the people for forty years finally exploded. In other words, when he saw that injustice being done to the chosen people, he felt irrepressible indignation and beat the Egyptian to death. His love toward the Israelites and his righteous indignation toward the Egyptian motivated him to action. Hence the deed contained the providential Will of God.
Moreover, in killing the Egyptian, Moses was taking responsibility for the Israelites and their destiny. Compared to the Egyptians’ sin of oppressing the Israelites, Moses’ action was minuscule. Moses was more concerned about his people than anyone else. Hence God chose him to lead them.
However, the Israelites misunderstood Moses and divulged the fact that he had killed the Egyptian. As a result, knowing that his act would be exposed, Moses had no choice but to escape to the wilderness of Midian. (1:141-42, July 1, 1956)
Once he settled in the wilderness of Midian, Moses felt ashamed of the luxurious life he had led in the palace. He forgot those glorious days when his life was full of leisure and Pharaoh’s daughter gave him whatever he wanted. He had become a nameless shepherd, who wore clothes made out of lamb’s wool and drove flocks of sheep from one place to another. Yet, as he was watching the flock, he longed for the land of Canaan that had been promised to his distant ancestor, Abraham.
Moses appealed to Heaven with a penetrating heart. He prayed that although he was doing no more than driving sheep, one day he was going to guide his people, like a flock of sheep, into the land of Canaan. Abraham had prayed for the people in Sodom and Gomorrah without them being aware of it. In the same way, Moses prayed day and night, in times of feast or famine, giving every ounce of sincerity for the sake of the Israelites.
Seeing the Israelites suffering under the oppression and cruelty of the Egyptians, Moses felt such great anguish as if his bones were melting. He appealed to Heaven, “Jehovah! Please, on my behalf, have mercy on this people.” Because Moses had such a heart, God chose him as the leader, to lead the multitude out of Egypt. To this seemingly insignificant shepherd in the wilderness of Midian, God bequeathed the hidden root that came down from the ancestors and made him the representative of the people. (1:142-43, July 1, 1956)
Because Moses endured a hard life in Midian while keeping unshakable resolution to do God’s Will, it was possible for the Israelites, who themselves were suffering in difficult circumstances, to unite with him. Hence God could conduct His providence with Moses as their leader. (4:39, February 23, 1958)
All the footsteps Moses took were adventurous. Because he kept the transcendent center of God’s providence close to his heart, his whole life transcended reality. All that he saw, and all the battles he fought, transcended reality.
As Moses was journeying to Pharaoh’s palace at God’s command, one would think that God would have blessed and protected him. Instead, He blocked Moses’ path and tried to kill him. Why did God try to impede and kill Moses, who was, after all, carrying out His orders? This is something incomprehensible.
According to common sense, if God blocks your way there should be no way to pass. However, Moses was determined; his heart yearned to fulfill God’s will even at the risk of his life. Therefore he overcame this test, one that had been set up by God and Satan. Moses, who believed firmly in the transcendent God, was an adventurous revolutionary on the universal scale, unprecedented in history. With the same conviction, Moses, went on to perform more than ten miracles in Pharaoh’s palace.
With his transcendent faith, Moses did not succumb to anyone’s opposition. That is why he could lead the six hundred thousand Israelites out of Egypt. Looking at it, the whole of Moses’ life was a path of transcendent adventure. (1:267, December 2, 1956)