Monthly Archives: March 2012
Exodus: grace to the grumbling
Exodus 15:22-16:36 The deliverance at Mara and through the quail and Manna came in spite of the people’s grumbling against their leaders. Even the laws which the LORD was setting up for his people were symbols of his grace. The … Continue reading
Exodus: inspiration
Exodus 15 The deliverance at the Red Sea was not simply a last rescue from the menace of Pharaoh. It was intended to inspire the Israelites to look beyond their present difficulty and see God’s ultimate purpose for their future. … Continue reading
Exodus: safety or glory?
Exodus 14 When the Israelites saw the army of Pharaoh approaching, they rightly concluded that it would have been safer for them to have remained as slaves in Egypt. Their rescue taught them to fear God, and to believe Moses. … Continue reading
Exodus: remember
Exodus 12:31-13:22 Every element of their experience in departing Egypt was designed to be remembered. Whenever an Israelite celebrated the annual Passover feast, he remembered what God had done for him and his people. Every time he ate unleavened bread, … Continue reading
Exodus: life, grace and deliverance
Exodus 11:1-12:30 The symbol that the Israelites were told to produce on their doorposts looked like a letter of the Hebrew alphabet: the letter chet. It is the first letter in the word for life (chayim), and also the first … Continue reading
Exodus: warnings
Exodus 9:13-10:29 God had provided warnings to the Egyptians so that those who feared the LORD could avoid harm. He does not engage in random acts. We might not understand every thing that happens to us, but it should be … Continue reading
Exodus: distinction
Exodus 8:20-9:12 The second cycle of plagues highlights the distinction between Egypt as a whole, and Goshen, where the Israelites are living. For the purpose of this contest, God prevents his judgments from doing major harm to the Israelites. This … Continue reading
Exodus: contest
Exodus 7:14-8:19 Pharaoh’s first resort when challenged to free the Israelites was to go home and ignore Moses and Aaron. When that didn’t work, he treated the plagues as a contest. He sent his magicians to imitate the plagues. Sometimes … Continue reading
Exodus: hardening
Exodus 6:10-7:13 Even with his brother’s help, Moses found it difficult to get through to Pharaoh. The great king was being hardened in his own obstinacy. This happened so that once the exodus took place and the Israelites were freed, … Continue reading
Exodus: pressure
Exodus 5:1-6:9 Neither Moses nor the Israelites expected the immediate result of his ministry to be what it turned out to be. Pharaoh increased the pressure upon the slaves by making them produce the same amount of bricks, but also … Continue reading
Devotions 