Moments With God

Exodus 19

It is wonderful to know that the Lord’s presence is with us at all times. The Lord walks beside us, before us, and behind us; as we tread through the wilderness of this life. In times of difficulty the Lord also carries us in His protective love. God said to His Old Testament people, "You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself." (Exodus 19:4) We certainly can take comfort from knowing that the Lord also carries us, His children today, "on eagles’ wings."

In Exodus 19:5-6a the Lord God went on to give a wonderful promise to His Old Testament people. God said, "Now if you obey Me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." If we as believers today are submissive and obedient to the Lord God, we also are His treasured possession. What an exciting thought!

I Peter 2:9 reassures us that as believers today we also are the Lord God’s "chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God." God has chosen us for these special roles, so that we can bring honor and praise to His glorious name. We were chosen to live holy and pure lives so that in this way we would bring glory to our Lord God. As the Lord God’s holy priests and holy nation we must strive to reflect His holiness in every aspect of our lives. I Peter 1:15-16 tells us, "But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’" To be God’s holy priests and His holy nation means we are set apart from the world, set apart from habitual and deliberate sin, and set apart to live for God’s glory. Because of sin still present in our lives even as believers, we will not do this perfectly. It must be our passion, however, to always strive to live holy and God honoring lives in the Lord’s strength.

As our Lord God’s holy priests we must further offer the Lord God the sacrifice of our reverence and humility because of His perfect holiness and awesome power. We must recognize that our loving and faithful God is also a holy and pure God. As the Israelites, God’s people of old, recognized the holiness and power of God in Exodus 19:10-25; so we also must stand in awe and reverence before our God because of His perfect holiness, because of His power, and because of all that He is in His character.

Finally, as His holy priests we also must offer sacrifices of praise, worship, and service to our Lord God. Romans 12:1b commands us to offer our "bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God" as our "spiritual act of worship" to our Lord. This means that as His holy priests our Lord God deserves the sacrifice of our undivided love and devotion. Our love for our Lord must involve the entirety of our hearts, minds, and wills. In this way we will indeed be showing by our lives that we are "a people belonging to God." May it be our passion to offer the Lord God sacrifices of holy lives, lives of undivided love for the Lord, and lives of praise and gratitude for all that the Lord has done for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 15:26-17; Psalm 34:1-6

If we are true children of God we will show it in our lives. The Holy Spirit works in our lives to slowly conform us to become more and more like our Lord Jesus Christ. May we be submissive to that process, and may we daily be striving to reflect the Lord Jesus in our lives.

True children of God will increasingly be showing contentment and joy in their lives. True children of God will not be grumbling, complaining, and questioning God’s workings in their lives; as did God’s people of old, the Israelites. (Exodus 15-17) True children of God will seek to praise and honor the Lord at all times. Praise for God will always be on their lips. (Psalm 34:1b) Praise for the Lord will be evident in the lives of true children of God both in pleasant and difficult situations in their lives.

True children of God will seek to always obey God’s clear commands in His Holy Word, the Bible. They will trust the Lord enough to know that His way is always best. True children of God will reverence the Lord enough to "listen carefully to the voice of the Lord" and to "do what is right in His eyes." (Exodus 15:26a) True children of God will not deliberately disobey the Lord God, as God’s Old Testament people did in Exodus 16 in regards to the gathering of the manna that the Lord God had provided for them.

True children of God will increasingly trust in the Lord even in times of trial and testing in their lives. They will seek to not "put the Lord to the test" (Exodus 17:2b) by their lack of trust in the Lord and by their complaining attitudes. True children of God will strive to never question the Lord’s presence in their lives. God’s Old Testament people, the Israelites, questioned the Lord’s presence in their lives when facing a crisis of lack of water. They said, "Is the Lord among us or not?" (Exodus 17:7b) The Israelites questioned God’s presence among them in spite of the fact that the Lord God had repeatedly shown His faithfulness to them in the past. True children of God can rest in the knowledge that the Lord is always with them. They know that the Lord will give them the grace and the mercy that they need to face each new challenge that life brings them. True children of God know Jesus Christ is their Rock and solid foundation. Moses struck the rock at the Lord’s command in Exodus 17:6, and water came out for the people to drink. So the Lord is our Rock who always provides for all of our needs.

True children of God also depend on prayer. In Exodus 17:8-16 we read about the Amalekites attacking God’s Old Testament people, the Israelites. While the Amalekites were attacking the Israelites Moses rose his hands in prayer. When Moses continued to keep his hands up in prayer the Israelites were winning in the battle against the Amalekites. Whenever Moses lowered his hands the Amalekities began to prevail in the battle. This illustrates the power and necessity of prayer in the lives of true children of God. Prayer relieves our fears as true children of God. (Psalm 34:4) Prayer adds joy to our lives. (Psalm 34:5) Further prayer is the answer to our deliverance from the challenges we face in this life. (Psalm 34:6) May we never neglect prayer in our lives. When the Israelites won a great victory in their battle against the Amalekites, "Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner." (Exodus 17:15) This was a testimony to the Lord God’s power and protection of His people. May we never lose sight of the fact that the Lord is our source of protection as His people today also. May we not forget that the Lord God always hears and welcomes our prayers. Praise His name!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 15:27-17:7

Praise the Lord God that He is the One who promises to always be with us, as we walk through the wilderness of this life’s experiences. Praise the Lord that He stretches our faith and helps us to grow through the trials of this life. Praise the Lord God that He also, however, provides times of spiritual and physical refreshment in the wilderness of this life, so that we do not become too discouraged.

The Israelites, God’s Old Testament people, had gone through a number of trials and frightening experiences. (Exodus 1-14) God was stretching their faith, and He was helping their faith to grow through these experiences. God was now leading His people through the wilderness to the new land that the Lord had promised them, and God’s people of old would face even more difficult circumstances on their way to that promised land. In the midst of this wilderness experience, however, God provided for the Israelites a time of spiritual and physical refreshment at a place called Elim. When the Israelites came to Elim "there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water." (Exodus 15:27) The Lord God also provides spiritual and physical "Elims" for us, His people today; as we walk through the wilderness of this life towards our home in eternity. The Lord knows when we need times of spiritual revival and physical rejuvenation, and He provides these times for us. The Lord is our wonderful Shepherd who makes us "lie down in green pastures" and who leads us "besides quiet waters" (Psalm 23:2a), so that we can again go out and face life’s challenges in His strength.

The Israelites could not stay at Elim forever, however. They had to move on from Elim through the wilderness towards the new land God had promised them, and along the way they would face new challenges. As believers today we must also walk through this life’s wilderness on our way to eternity. The wilderness of this life may be difficult, but the Lord will be with us. Hence, we can be content in the wilderness of this life and filled with the Lord’s joy.

In the wilderness the Israelites had to leave behind what they had been comfortable with and familiar with in Egypt. God wanted them to not crave the things of Egypt but to crave only Himself, the Lord God. They further had to learn dependence on the Lord, as they faced new and unfamiliar experiences. God also wants to teach us, His children today, dependence on Him. In addition to this the Lord wants us to love and crave Him above anything or anyone on this temporal earth. The Lord wants us to make Him first in our lives, and He wants us to have an eternal perspective.

God always provided for His Old Testament people even when they "put the Lord to the test" (Exodus 17:2b) by their complaining and lack of faith. The Lord daily provided manna (bread from heaven) for the Israelites for forty years in the wilderness. (Exodus 16) The Lord also provided water for them. (Exodus 15:22-27 and Exodus 17:1-7) So the Lord God also provides for our physical and spiritual needs. Hence, as we travel through the wilderness of this life; let us do it with joy having our eyes focused on the Lord. Let us also have our spiritual eyes open so that we can see the blessings that the Lord provides for us along the way. Let us further avail ourselves of the spiritual manna and the spiritual water of His Holy Word, the Bible.

When the Lord God provided manna in the wilderness for the Israelites God commanded them to take some of the manna "and keep it for the generations to come," (Exodus16:32) so that they could always remember what God had done for them in the wilderness. May we also never forget all the past blessings of the Lord’s protection and provision for us. This will encourage us on our future spiritual walk through this life and to eternity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 15:22-27

As a child I remember with fondness the Bible stories my mother used to read to my siblings and me about the Old Testament and New Testament saints. I often was taken aback by the constant complaining that the Israelites, God’s Old Testament people, did while traveling though the wilderness. God showed His faithfulness to them again and again. In spite of this the Israelites repeatedly reacted with panic and a grumbling attitude whenever they faced a new crisis. Are we as believers today any different than the Israelites of old? Do we react with panic or praise when a new crisis occurs in our lives? Do we trust our Lord during these times of trial, or do we test the Lord God’s patience by grumbling and complaining.

The Israelites had just seen God miraculously free them from slavery in Egypt. They also had just witnessed an awesome display of God’s deliverance, protection, and faithfulness at the Red Sea, and as a result they had sung songs of praise to the Lord for this victory and deliverance in their lives. (Exodus 14-15) Now God led them into the desert where for three days they traveled without finding water. Finally they came to a place called Marah where they found water. They were not able to drink this water, however, because it was bitter. So the Israelites began to grumble to Moses, their leader, saying, "What are we to drink?" (Exodus 15:24) The Israelites were not calling on the Lord God and asking for His help, as they should have done. Instead they were complaining to Moses. The Israelites were forgetting how faithful God had been to them in the very recent past. They were forgetting all about the Lord’s miraculous protection of them in just the last few weeks. Further they were not applying to their daily lives the trust for the Lord God that they had just affirmed and sung about in their worship of God in Exodus 15:1-21. What about you and I as believers today? Does our day to day trust in the Lord match our testimony of trust in our times of worship? When we face a new trial in our lives do we trust the Lord and rest our anxieties with the Lord, or do we resort to panic and complaining about the difficult situation in which we find ourselves?

In spite of the Israelite people’s complaining the Lord God provided for their needs. When Moses cried out to God in prayer the Lord provided water. The Lord told Moses to throw a piece of wood into the water, and the water became sweet and good for drinking. At this point the Lord told the Israelites that if they trusted and obeyed Him He would bless them. (Exodus 15:26) Repeatedly the Israelites would fail this test, however. They would later complain and show lack of trust in the Lord when there was no apparent food in the desert. (Exodus 16) In a still later incident the Israelites would complain and show lack of trust in the Lord when once again there was a scarcity of water. (Exodus 17) In every situation the Lord provided for their needs in spite of their complaining and weakness of faith.

We also can trust that the Lord will provide for all of our needs. Even when our faith is weak, the Lord is faithful. Let us be very diligent to rest our trust in the Lord, as we face each new struggle and crisis. Let us not grumble and complain at such times. Grumbling and complaining about our situations is really grumbling against the Lord. (Exodus 16:8b ) Grumbling and complaining is really us questioning the wisdom of the Lord God of the universe and the Lord God of our lives. Who are we to question the Lord? In Job 38:2 the Lord God says, "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?" Instead of grumbling and complaining against the Lord in difficult situations, let us instead trust and obey Him. Instead of grumbling and complaining and asking, "Why, Lord?;" let us embrace the Lord and His comfort in the difficult situations we face in life. Let us use these difficult times as opportunities to praise and bring honor to the Lord’s name. May this be our deepest desire.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 15:1-21 May our hearts always be thankful and full of praise for all the Lord had done for us. In Exodus 15:1-21 we read about Moses and the Israelites singing a song of praise to God for the Lord's great deliverance and protection of them. The Lord God had freed His Old Testament people, the Israelites, from slavery. The Lord God had also miraculously provided a way for the Israelites to cross the Red Sea on dry ground. The Lord had further drowned the Egyptians in the Red Sea when they tried to pursue God's people to harm them. As a consequence the Israelite people's hearts were full of praise for the Lord. In the next several paragraphs this devotional writer is going to take great liberty in paraphrasing and applying to her own life Exodus 15, the Israelite people's song of praise for their deliverance. I will sing praise to the Lord with my whole heart and soul for His love for me is great. I will sing praise to Him for the Lord is highly exalted and worthy of praise. He is glorious in His might. As the Lord protected God's Old Testament people, so the Lord protects me today. The Lord is my strength, my song, my joy, and my salvation. Therefore I will trust Him in all things, and I will not let fear overcome me. I will cast my fears and anxieties on the Lord, and let Him deal with them. The Lord is my God, my Lord, and my Savior; and I will praise and exalt Him. The Lord God is also a warrior who is always protecting me and fighting for me. He alone is the One who goes ahead of me along life's path and brings victory to my life. In the Lord I "go from strength to strength," as I face the obstacles and trials of life and until I appear before my God in Glory some day. (Psalm 84:7) As the Lord protected the Israelites of old, He also protects and strengthens me. The Lord's hand is majestic and awesome in its power. His right hand protects me and removes the obstacles from my path through life. God is soverign, and His purposes will stand. The arrogant who reject God are "on slippery ground" and will come to ruin someday. (Psalm 73:18) God will always protect me and all of His children, however, in spite of the trials we face in this life. There is no other god than the Lord God Almighty. The Lord is majestic in His faithfulness and righteousness. He is awesome in His glory, because of His wonderous work in the world and in my life. The Lord has brought me through months of cancer treatment, and He gives me strength daily as I deal with my husband's medically incurable neurological condition. The Lord forgives me when I fail and become impatient, and He has answered many of my prayers. In His unfailing love the Lord will continue to lead me and all His people whom He loves and has redeemed. In the Lord's strength alone I will be able to persevere in this life, and He will guide me step by step through this life to His holy dwelling and my inheritance through Jesus Christ in heaven. The Holy Spirit in my heart is a deposit guaranteeing this glorious future inheritance that I have in Jesus Christ. (Ephesians1:13b-14) Praise God that the Lord reigns forever, and praise Him that I am His child forever. May I always praise God because of what He Has done for me. May I always praise Him for His glory, majesty, and for all He is in His being.

Exodus 14

God has said that in this life we will face trials and difficulties. We as His children, however, need not fear. We can trust that the Lord is always with us and that in Him we are overcomers. The Lord says to us in John 16:33b, "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

The Israelites, God’s Old Testament people, were facing a very difficult and frightening situation. Pharaoh, ancient king of Egypt, had released them from slavery after 10 horrendous plagues. Pharaoh had changed his mind, however, and was now pursuing God’s people. The Israelites found themselves with the Red Sea before them and the Egyptians behind them. With no visible means of escape the Israelites responded with fear and complaining to Moses. (Exodus 14:11-12) Moses answered the people’s fears by saying, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:13-14) God’s Old Testament people had to be still and calm in their spirits. They had to trust that the Lord would deliver them and that a victory would be won that day by the Lord. Victory would happen only because the Lord was on their side and was fighting the battle for them. So we too as believers today must not respond in fear when a new and frightening trial enters our lives. Instead the Lord directs us to "be still, and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10a) We need to rest our anxieties with the Lord and cast all our worries on the Lord, because He truly cares for us. (I Peter 5:7)

God’s Old Testament people, the Israelites, were not only instructed to "be still" and trust in the Lord; but they were also commanded to "move on" in obedience. (Exodus 14:14b-15) God first caused the pillar of cloud to move from in front of His people to behind them so that it came between the armies of the Israelites and the armies of the Egyptians. In this way there was darkness on the side of the Egyptians and light on the side of the Israelites. This was a beautiful and visible reminder to God’s Old Testament people of His presence with them. So also God lights the way for us, His people today. He is our guide and the light on our path through this life and to eternity.

Next God instructed Moses to raise his staff over the Red Sea "and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry ground." (Exodus 14:21) The Israelites then rested their fears in the Lord and moved out in obedience and trust in the Lord. They "went through the sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and on their left. (Exodus 14:22) May it be our passion as well to rest our fears with the Lord and to persevere in obedient trust when we face the difficult and frightening trials of life.

When the Egyptians decided to try to pursue the Israelites into the Red Sea the Lord God caused the waters to come down again upon the Egyptians, and "not one of them survived." (Exodus 14:28b) That day the Lord God was truly fighting for His Old Testament people against the Egyptians. (Exodus 14:25b) "When the Israelites saw the great power the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in Him and in Moses His servant." (Exodus 14:31) This was a reverential trust and awe of the Lord God and involved a commitment to the Lord’s will. The Lord works in our lives today also in many ways. He is the One who fights for us and is our strength, song, and salvation in the trials of life. (Exodus 15:2) May we trust His perfect plan and will, and may we praise Him for His many answers to prayer in our lives!

Exodus 14:1-12

Praise God that we have the confidence that all the events of our lives be they pleasant or difficult work together for the Lord’s glory and for our spiritual and eternal good.

God’s Old Testament people, the Israelites, had been freed from slavery in Egypt. This did not mean, however, that their lives from then on were going to be free from problems. In fact, very soon after leaving Egypt God placed them in a frightening situation which would stretch their faith and their spiritual lives. God told Moses to instruct the Israelites, God’s Old Testament people, to set up camp near the Red Sea. This made it necessary for them to turn back in the general direction from which they had come when they left Egypt. God said, "Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert’---and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am Lord.’" (Exodus 14:3-4) God was deliberately choosing to place the Israelites by the Red Sea so that when Pharaoh and the Egyptians chose to pursue them, they would be hemmed in with no visible means of escape. At first glance it seems puzzling that the Lord would do such a thing. The Lord, however, wanted to teach His people of old that they needed to be completely dependent on Him, and He wanted to teach them to not depend on their own perceived resources. The Lord God wanted to teach His people that they needed to trust in Him alone. This frightening situation which the Lord was allowing in their lives was ultimately for their spiritual growth and well-being. Further through the deliverance the Lord would ultimately bring the Lord Himself would be glorified. (Exodus 14:4b) In the same way the Lord sometimes brings and allows difficult situations in our lives as believers today also. This is to stretch and strengthen our faith and is for our ultimate spiritual good. It also brings glory to the Lord God’s name. It brings glory to His name, if we respond to the trials God allows in our lives in faith and trust. It also brings glory to His name when He helps us and delivers us in His perfect timing.

Because they regretted their decision to free God’s Old Testament people from slavery Pharaoh, ancient king of Egypt, and his officials decided to pursue them. As Pharaoh and his army approached God’s people, they were terrified. They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?----It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (Exodus 14:11-12) By this display of fear God’s Old Testament people were denying God’s power to help them. Sometimes when we face a fearful or difficult situation, it is easy for us also to panic and to forget that we have a powerful and faithful God. We need not fear, however. We may face serious illness, job loss, financial insecurity, the loss of a loved one, or a host of other situations; but the Lord has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5b) Let us always say with the Psalmist, "I will fear no evil, for You (God) are with me." (Psalm 23:4) God was about to bring about a glorious deliverance for God’s Old Testament people. (Exodus 14:13-31) In the mean time when they did not know for certain what was going to happen, God’s Old Testament people had to trust the Lord to work things out for them for their ultimate spiritual good. In the face of a difficult situation and an uncertain future we too must trust that the Lord is in control. (Psalm 33:11) We also must trust that the Lord will bring about His deliverance in His perfect timing if not in this life then in eternity. The Lord hears our prayers and will work things out, but it will not necessarily be the way we think it should happen. We must let Him lead the way, and follow Him in trust. May this be our passion.

Exodus 13:17-22

Praise the Lord that we as believers can depend on the Lord God’s directing hand and guiding light in our lives. Praise the Lord that He is in control of all the events of our lives.

When the Lord God led His Old Testament people out of slavery in Egypt, it must have been an exciting time for them. After ten plagues or judgments on Egypt Pharaoh, ancient king of Egypt, had decided to let God’s people leave Egypt and slavery. God’s Old Testament people had been slaves in Egypt for many years, and now they were free from slavery. In addition to it being an exciting time for them it also must have been a bit frightening. God’s people were leaving behind all that they had known and experienced for many years. They did not know what their new lives as free people would entail, and they were not sure what obstacles lay ahead of them. They would truly have to learn to trust in the Lord in this newly uncharted territory in their lives. The Lord understood His Old Testament people’s fears and spiritual frailty. Hence when the Lord God led His Old Testament people out of slavery in Egypt; He "did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter," (Exodus 13:17) The Lord God did not lead His people on the shorter route, because He knew that if they had to face war at this point in their history they would in fear return to Egypt and slavery. Instead the Lord lead them on a longer road toward the Red Sea.

In the same way the Lord leads and spiritually protects His children today also. The Lord always knows what is best for us, and His timing is perfect. Further the Lord God never gives us more burdens than we can handle by His grace. He never allows a challenge or trial in our lives for which He has not first spiritually prepared us.

Concerning God’s Old Testament people Exodus 13:21-22 says, "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people." The pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire were visual reminders to God’s people of old that He would always be with them.

So the Lord God goes ahead of His children today also. The Lord God always has and always will lead His people of all ages "on their way" through life. There is never a time be it night or day that the Lord is not with us. God says to us, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 135b) God’s children need not fear, for they know the Lord is with them each step of the way on life’s path. In the darkness of night God’s Old Testament people were led by a pillar of fire. The light from this pillar of fire kept them from stumbling in the dark. So also the Lord gives His children today His special light in the darkness of times of trial and difficulty in their lives. The Psalmist in Psalm 18:28b says, "My God turns my darkness into light." Therefore as His children "let us walk in the light of the Lord." (Isaiah 2:5b) In times of trial and trouble walking "in the light of the Lord" can sometimes be very difficult especially when we do not know what God would have us to do next in what we as weak humans view as an impossible and hopeless situation. At such times the book of James in the New Testament advises us to pray for wisdom. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him." We also at such times need to study God’s Word. Psalm 119:105 says, "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Finally we need to rest in the Lord and trust that He will give us just enough light for the step we are on today. We need to trust that the Lord will continue to direct our way through this life step by step. Praise God for the Lord’s light and direction!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 12-13:16

How often do we meditate on the wonder of God’s gift of salvation to us? How often do we remember and contemplate all the other blessings the Lord has given to us in our lives? Finally how often do we talk to our children and grandchildren about all that the Lord has done for us?

In our Scripture passage God’s Old Testament people, the Israelites, had just been freed from slavery in Egypt. After ten terrible plagues Pharaoh, ancient king of Egypt, had finally consented to let God’s Old Testament people leave Egypt. God’s Old Testament people had lived in Egypt for 430 years, and at last they were leaving Egypt and slavery. (Exodus 12:40-41) They were free from Pharaoh and free from slavery, and they were on the way to the promised land.

This is a beautiful picture of God’s children of all ages being freed from the slavery of sin. The night before God’s Old Testament people left Egypt they, at God’s command, killed a lamb and sprinkled the blood on their houses. When the Lord God went through the land of Egypt and saw the blood on their houses, He passed over their houses. The plague which killed all the first born sons of the Egyptian families did not come on God’s Old Testament people. This was because of the blood of the lamb on their houses. We also are saved from God’s wrath and just punishment for our sins by the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus Christ’s blood shed on the cross, we are free from the slavery of sin! Because of Jesus Christ’s blood on the cross, God in His grace "passes over" our sin just as He passed over the houses of His ancient Old Testament people. The Lord God washed away our sin and made us stand pure in His sight. May we never forget and cease to be thankful for the awesome gift that we have been given in our salvation!

The Israelites, God’s Old Testament people, were instructed to commemorate and remember forever their wonderful exodus from Egypt and slavery. God said to them, "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord-a lasting ordinance." (Exodus 12:14) They were to yearly commemorate this awesome day in their history when God Himself brought them out of slavery "with a mighty hand." (Exodus 13:3) They were to tell their ancestors for generations to come what the Lord had done for them that day. Annually as they celebrated this event they were to tell their children, "I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt. (Exodus 13:8b)

May we also often contemplate and be eternally thankful for our Lord God’s salvation provided for us. May we also remember and be thankful for all the other daily blessings He has given to us. May we further be passionate about passing on the faith to our children and grandchildren. May we be unafraid to tell them about the Lord’s salvation and what He has done in our lives. The Lord has "passed over" our sins through the blood of the Lamb, our Lord Jesus Christ, and He has showered us with overflowing blessings. Hence let us be diligent to "pass on" the faith to our children and grandchildren by our words and the example of our lives!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 11-12

The Lord Jesus Christ is the "Lamb of God" who laid down His life on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of His people. (John 1:29) As His children we have been cleansed from our sins and made "white in the blood of the Lamb," our Lord Jesus Christ! (Revelation 7:14b)

This wonderful truth is pictured for us in the Old Testament story found in Exodus 11-12. Pharaoh, ancient king of Egypt, had continued to harden his heart over and over in spite of nine horrendous plagues which God had sent on Egypt. (Exodus 7-10) Pharaoh had repeatedly refused to obey the clear command of God to let His Old Testament people, the Israelites, leave Egypt. Hence, God sent a tenth plague on Egypt. About midnight God went throughout the land of Egypt, and every firstborn son from every family in Egypt died including the first born son of the great Pharaoh down to the first born son of the lowliest of slaves. Those who do not accept God’s grace and who do not bow the knee to the Lord will die in their sins. They will also reap the eternal consequences of that sin.

For the Israelites, God’s Old Testament people, God provided a way of escape and grace, however. The Israelites were instructed to kill a lamb "without defect." (Exodus 12:5) Next the Israelites were to put some of the Lamb’s blood "on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses." (Exodus 12:7) God’s promised His Old Testament people that if they obeyed Him in this matter, He would pass over their houses and spare their first born sons. The Egyptian families’ firstborn sons would die, but when God saw the blood on the Israelite families’ houses He would spare their sons. What a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ, our Lamb of God, who once and for all shed His blood for our sins on the cross! The Israelites were no more deserving than the Egyptians of God’s grace. Yet God saved them because of the blood of the lambs on their doors. We also are undeserving of God’s grace. Yet through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and through Christ’s blood God has chosen to save us and make us His children! Praise His name!

The same night as the Lord passed over their houses, God’s Old Testament people were instructed to eat the meat of the Lamb that they had killed and to eat bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. Yeast is often used as picture of sin in the New Testament. I Corinthians 5:7a instructs us to "get rid of the old yeast" of sin. In thankfulness for what Christ, our Lamb of God, has done for us on the cross may we passionately seek to live our lives in practical holiness and obedience to our Lord. The Lord says to us in I Peter 1:18-19, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed----, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." The lamb that was killed and whose blood was put on the doorframes of the houses of God’s Old Testament people needed to be a lamb "without defect." (Exodus 12:5) So our Savior and Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is our perfect "lamb without blemish or defect." (I Peter 1:19b) Jesus Christ lived a perfectly sinless life for us that we could not live, and then shed His blood to pay the punishment for our sins! That monumental event in the life of God’s Old Testament people when God spared their first born sons was very significant. It was from that day on called Passover, and the Israelites remembered that event every year with the Passover celebration and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It also was a new beginning in their calendar year and truly a new beginning in the history of God’s Old Testament people. (Exodus 12:2) As the Passover was a new beginning for God’s Old Testament people; so in Christ we as His people today have a new beginning, a new identity, and a new purpose in Him. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, shed His blood on the cross to purchase our salvation. May we passionately live our lives in gratitude to Him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 10

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." (Psalm 103:12-13) These verses from Psalm 103 are a wonderful promise to those who are truly repentant and sorry for their sins. Those who continue in sin, however, who deliberately harden their hearts and deliberately continue in habitual sins, do not truly know the Lord. (I John 3:6, 9-10) In fact unrepented, deliberate, and habitual sin coming from a heart that has grown hard and cold toward God will reap destruction. Galatians 6:8a says, "The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction." Such was the case in the life of Pharaoh, ancient king of Egypt, and in the nation of which he was the leader.

Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt had already suffered through seven horrendous plagues when God sent the eighth plague, the plague of the locusts. During the seventh plague, the plague of hail every person, animal, and plant that was out in the field had been destroyed. When the Lord announced the onset of the plague of locusts to Pharaoh, God said this about the locusts, "They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians-something neither your fathers nor your forefathers have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now." (Exodus 10:5b-6a) Pharaoh’s officials tried to persuade him from his stubborn and rebellious ways saying, "Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?" (Exodus 10:7b)

The plague of the locusts is a picture of the total destruction of sin. As the locusts "devoured all that was left after the hail" and left nothing alive (Exodus 10:15), so unrepented sin destroys and ruins people’s lives. Sin destroys people emotionally and spiritually and sometimes physically. Unrepented sin removes joy, security, and peace from people’s lives. Unrepented sin destroys the possibility for an eternal and personal relationship with the Lord. Unrepented sin destroys purpose in life, because we were created for the purpose of serving the Lord. Unrepented sin makes people hard in their hearts. Over and over Exodus tells us that Pharaoh hardened his heart until it appears there was a point of no return. After the sixth plague, the plague of boils, Exodus 9:12 says "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses." Although this is a difficult verse to understand, it first of all it shows God’s sovereignty. (Exodus 10:1-2) Also this writer believes Pharaoh had hardened his heart for so long that at last the Lord let Pharaoh’s heart go in its natural inclination against God. As the cement mixture which is laid for a new sidewalk eventually hardens, so the Lord allowed Pharaoh’s heart to harden in his sinful rebellion.

The eighth plague on Pharaoh and the Egyptian people was the plague of darkness. There was total darkness over Egypt for three days. This is a picture of the darkness of sin. Exodus 10:23b says this of God’s Old Testament people, however, "Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived." Although the world around God’s people may be very dark, God’s children have the light of Jesus shining in their lives directing their paths even when they walk through deep trials. This is true because Jesus has died on the cross and taken their punishment for sin on Himself. As it was dark three days in Egypt, so Jesus was three days in the grave before His glorious resurrection. Jesus Christ not only saves us from our sins and gives us an eternal relationship with Him, but He daily directs our steps with the light of His presence and guidance. The psalmist says this to the Lord in prayer in Psalm 89:15, "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord." Praise God for His light and freedom from sin’s destruction in the lives of His children!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 9

Proverbs 28:14 says, "Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble." Believers who trust in the Lord will face trials in this life, but because the Lord protects His children, they are "more than conquerors" through Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:37) Those who harden their hearts in rebellion against the Lord, however, do not experience the Lord’s peace and joy. Instead they experience God’s wrath.

Pharaoh, ancient king of Egypt, hardened his heart over and over against God and His clear commands. Repeatedly Moses had come to Pharaoh and said, "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: ‘Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert." (Exodus 7:16) When Pharaoh disobeyed this command to let God’s Old Testament people leave Egypt, God sent ten terrible plagues on Egypt. First God sent the plague of blood. Blood was in the Nile River, in all the ponds and streams, and even in the containers found in their homes. Next came the plagues of the frogs, gnats, and flies. After the onset of each plague Pharaoh would ask Moses to pray to God to remove the plague. When the plague was no longer existent, however, Pharaoh would harden his heart time and again against God’s clear command to let God’s people leave Egypt.

Then came the fifth plague. This was the plague on the livestock. Moses warned Pharaoh that if he did not let God’s Old Testament people leave Egypt "the hand of the Lord" would bring a terrible plague on their various animals in the field. (Exodus 9:3) For the believer "the hand of the Lord" is a blessed thing. Psalm 37:24b says of the child of God, "the Lord upholds him with His hand." For those who continue to harden their heart against the Lord, however, "the hand of the Lord" is a fearsome thing. Yet Pharaoh continued to harden his heart against the Lord. So the Lord did indeed send that terrible plague on the livestock; and then later God sent the sixth plague, the plague of the boils. These boils covered all the Egyptian people and all their animals. Whereas the previous plague had affected only the animals in the field, this plague affected all the animals and people. Animals and animal-headed deities were often worshipped by the Egyptians, but once again these false deities did not help them at all in their time of crisis. Only our God can protect and help. He alone is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

The seventh plague that God sent on Pharaoh and the Egyptians was the plague of hail. Hail fell and killed all the animals and people who were out in the field. It also "beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree." (Exodus 9:25b) Not only was there hail, but the lighting and thunder that accompanied the hail was horrendous. "It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation." (Exodus 9:24b) The only place this storm did not hit was in the land of Goshen where God’s Old Testament people, the Israelites, lived. Once again as with the other plagues Pharaoh summoned Aaron and Moses. Pharaoh said, "This time I have sinned---The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer." (Exodus 9:27) This is the first time Pharaoh acknowledged his sin and began to have a glimmer of understanding about the consequences of his sin. So Moses prayed and the hail and thunder disappeared. As soon as the hail storm disappeared, however, Pharaoh chose to harden his heart and disobey God once again; and he refused to let God’s people leave Egypt. Pharaoh was going to be visited with three more plagues before he would submit to God’s command to let God’s people go. Let us be very sure that we protect our hearts from becoming hard or indifferent. May our hearts instead be filled with a passion to serve and obey our Lord!