Archive for the ‘Exodus-BibleTrekToday’ Category

Dear Friends,

Greetings in the Wonderful Name of Jesus Christ!  Welcome to another day of rest and reflection!  How wonderful it is to be delivered from slavery to sin and enjoy new life in Jesus Christ!

I want to think about Moses for a few minutes today.  Moses was a man highly favored of God.  His godly parents feared God and were allowed to raise this child after he was miraculously taken out of the water of the Nile River by Pharaoh’s daughter.  The name “Moses” means “drawn out of the water”!  God often uses water as a medium of spiritual cleansing or new birth.  We are first born through water–from our mother’s womb–born  in sin and under God’s wrath.

This Moses, eighty years later, would lead all of God’s people through walls of water to deliverance from Pharaoh’s army.  God used the water then to protect His people from destruction and to destroy the enemies of His people.  He used that deliverance to purify them of the slavery mentality and take them to new life in the land of promise.

In Joshua’s day, God took the Nation of Israel back through the waters of the Jordan River at flood-stage by a miraculous parting.  This was another “baptism” of those who came through the desert experience of 40 years.  This new generation had to go through the waters to prepare them to worship and make war in the promised land!

One greater than Moses or Joshua, who came through the “baptized” nation of Israel, would go into the waters of the Jordan and be baptized by John the Baptist.  As he came out of those waters, he would receive the Spirit and confirmation of His Father’s approval.  He would become the means by which all peoples of the earth could escape  judgment and receive new birth.   Jesus commanded all who would repent, to believe and be baptized in water!  This baptism helps us connect with people of faith from all generations!  God takes us through the waters to new life in Him!  Take time today to reflect on Moses, Jesus and water!   In His Love, Pastor John

Scripture reading for January 23rd: Exodus 13-15

Why does God lead His people into impossible situations?  Does He get a thrill out of seeing His people suffer and experience fear?  Why did God lead the Israelites out of Egypt by way of the desert route instead of the shorter route through the land of the Philistines?  God has His reasons and they are all working for the good of His people if they will follow in faith!

The stated reason why God took these people on the longer route is that they were not ready to fight to possess the land.  God knew that although they were out of Egypt, they still had a slave mentality.  Although they were armed for battle, they did not have the heart for battle! (Exodus 13:17-18)  God led them with a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  (Exodus 13:21-22)  This was a visible evidence of His presence with His people.  One would think that this miraculous visible presence of God would convince the people to follow, but miracles do not always change the heart or transform us! God is preparing us by using impossible situations to display His glory!   His grace and glory transform us!

Pharaoh, in the mean time, realized what he had done!  He decided to pursue the Israelites with his chariots and army.  The Israelites saw them coming and began to complain and be fearful.  They would be no match for the Egyptians alone!  They were terrified and cried out! (Exodus 14: 10-12)  Moses reassured them that the Lord was with them and He would fight for them.  (Exodus 14:13)  Having a man of faith as a leader is a great comfort and help when the going gets rough!  Moses knew God and obeyed the Lord as He continued to instruct him!  (Exodus 14:15-17)

God delivered His people through the water of the Red Sea with a miraculous “baptism”.  They walked over on dry land between two walls of water while their enemies were drowned!  This “baptism” would help them to understand God’s ability to do the impossible again and again as they walked with Him!

If you are in a desperate situation today, take a moment to reflect on God’s presence and power.  Allow Him to guide you through the situation to safety on the other side!  Your trouble can reveal His glory!

Scripture reading for January 22nd: Exodus 11-12

God’s people always have hindrances and battles concerning worship.  There are forces in this world opposed to worship.  Whenever we set ourselves to press in and worship the Lord, a battle ensues.  The battle is often with our own flesh.  The flesh is opposed to the Spirit and the Spirit opposes the flesh.  Other times, this battle is with wicked spiritual forces that refuse to let us go and worship!  This conflict comes to a culmination in today’s reading from Exodus!

Pharaoh had been particularly stubborn about letting God’s people go and worship.  Through five plagues, he had repeatedly hardened his heart and refused to listen.  Through four more plagues, he had been hardened by God and refused or set limits on how far God’s people could go to worship.  Finally, when the last plague took the firstborn of every household in Egypt, men and animals, Pharaoh decided to listen!  (Exodus 12:30-32)

God’s people, however, were kept safe from this final plague of death of the firstborn.  They had listened to God’s instructions, taken a lamb for each household, and killed it.  The head of the house took some of the blood and put it on the door posts and tops of the doors.  They had eaten the lamb’s flesh, roasted by fire, while dressed to leave Egypt.  (Exodus 12:6-11)  Preparation for worship always includes a sacrifice to cleanse and heal God’s people.

This meal was to become a lasting ordinance to be commemorated yearly by the Israelites.  (Exodus 12:17-20)  This meal was being celebrated about 1500 years later by Jesus Christ with His disciples in the upper room right before He was crucified as the final sacrifice for sins.  (Matthew 26:18-20)  At that meal, Jesus revealed to them that the unleavened bread represented His body, broken for them.  The cup represented His blood shed for them for forgiveness of sins.  (Matthew 26:25-28)  His sacrifice would prepare these disciples and all who would believe in Jesus for a life of freedom and worship.  This meal was also to be kept as a memorial, remembering Jesus’ sacrifice until He would come again!

What a God we have!  He has plans for those who will follow Him by faith!  He desires for us to worship Him and has prepared the necessary sacrifice!  It is complete and we are able to worship Him any time of day or night!  Take a moment and thank Him!

Scripture reading for January 21st: Exodus 7-10

The story of the ten plagues is an interesting study in human reaction to the miraculous.  We often think that if unbelievers could just see a miracle, then they would believe.  If God would do something spectacular, then the unbeliever would take notice and start to follow God.  However, miracles done in front of the willfully blind have the effect of hardening them even further!

To most people, Pharaoh was the most powerful man on earth during the time of Moses.  He was the head of the most powerful nation and had a large army with many chariots.  He, himself, was worshiped as a god.  When Moses came before him with just his staff and Aaron his brother to demand that Pharaoh let the Israelites go, Pharaoh was less than impressed.  When Moses threw his staff down before Pharaoh and it became a snake, he summoned his wise men and magicians and they did the same thing with their magic arts.  (Exodus 7:10-13)  Moses’ snake swallowed all their snakes, however.  This miracle only hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to them as the Lord had predicted.

Hardness of heart comes from hearing truth and rejecting it.  Refusing to listen to God’s word and warning is the root cause of this fatal disease.  The more truth we hear and know, the more responsible we are to respond in faith to that truth.  If we reject the truth God is bringing us, our hearts harden by our own choice and attitude.  We see Pharaoh repeatedly rejecting Moses’ appeal to let God’s people go to worship.  Every time for the first five plagues, Scripture states that Pharaoh hardened his own heart. (Exodus 7:22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7)  After the sixth plague, the Scripture says that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.  (Exodus 9:12)  This tells us we can cross a line with God when we reject His truth.

The ultimate result of hardness of heart is deception and finally destruction.  Proverbs 29:1 speaks of the person who is stiff-necked after many rebukes.  This person will suddenly be destroyed without remedy.  That is exactly what happened to Pharaoh.  It is wise to give heed to God’s word and His correction.  He will not judge without warning.  He would rather show mercy than wrath.  Don’t let hardness of heart afflict you!

Scripture reading for January 20th: Exodus 3-6

A healthy fear of the Lord, a respect for who He is, gives us a desire to worship Him.  Worship is a response to the wonder and majesty of God our Creator and Father!   He is the God who is, was, and will always be!  (Revelation 1:8)  He is the One all of heaven and all of earth will one day bow before and worship.  (Revelation 5:13)  The main issue with each man and woman is worship.  Who will you worship?  Will you worship the One true God?

After Moses had spent forty years on the back side of the desert tending sheep, God came to him.  He appeared to him in a burning bush and called him by his name, “Moses!, Moses!” (Exodus 3:4)  Moses responded and God told him to remove his shoes, because he was standing on holy ground.  God spoke to him, “I am the God of your father, the god of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:6)  Moses hid his face and was afraid to look at God.  God then told Moses of His desire to deliver the Israelites and told him that he was the one to go and bring them out.  The sign that God was with them would be worship of God on that very mountain where Moses was meeting with God!

Moses asked God how he should answer the Israelites when he went to them and told them of meeting with the Lord.  God responded with a simple name and statement: “I AM WHO I AM”  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14-15)

God had a relationship with His people.  They were considered His “firstborn son”! (Exodus 4:22-23)  He wanted fellowship with his children, especially his “firstborn son” !  From this people who were marked by God through circumcision, would come God’s actual “Firstborn Son”, Jesus Christ!  This fellowship must be in Spirit and Truth, not in the ways of Egypt or the world!  God’s people must come apart to truly worship Him who is their “I AM”.

Today the issue is still worship.  The world does not want God’s people to worship!  The issue is still “Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him?” (Exodus 5:2)  If you don’t know Him as the great “I AM”, your Father, and have a relationship of separated worship of Him alone, you are lost!

Scripture reading for January 19th: Exodus 1-2

It is a wonderful blessing to have godly parents!  Godly parents seek to follow the Lord and are concerned about what God wants rather than what is convenient.  Godly parents pass the faith that they possess on to their children and pray for them.  God uses godly parents to prepare His children for their part in His saving mission! I know, because I had godly parents and they helped prepare me for my calling as pastor and teacher!

After nearly 400 years had passed in Egypt, the Israelites had multiplied and found themselves in slavery to leadership that had forgotten Joseph and his contribution to the Egyptian’s welfare.  Pharaoh ordered the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill all male babies and let the female ones live.  These women feared God and refused the orders given them.  Because of their faith and their bravery, God took care of them by giving them families of their own.  (Exodus 1:15-21)

A Levite married a Levite woman and they gave birth to a son.  The woman hid her son for three months in order to preserve his life from Pharaoh’s death squads.  When she could hide him no longer, she prepared an ark from a papyrus basket.  She coated it with tar and pitch, making it waterproof.  Then she placed the baby in the basket and carefully placed it in the Nile river near where Pharaoh’s daughter came regularly to bathe. The baby’s older sister watched as Pharaoh’s daughter approached. Noticing the basket, Pharaoh’s daughter had it brought to her.  The baby inside touched her heart and Moses’ sister stepped forward, volunteering to get a nurse for the baby.  It just so happened that the nurse was the baby’s mother!  What “luck” that was!

So in God’s providence, He used godly Levites to raise this child, Moses, and placed one of His own people inside the court of Pharaoh.  Moses got to learn the ways of Egypt and yet know his own God through the training of godly parents in this strange relationship.  His education and training concerning Egypt were provided by the one’s who would face him as God’s leader a few years later.  From his parents, Moses learned the promises of God to deliver His people.  Thus, God prepared one of the greatest leaders of the Old Testament for delivering His people!

As we ponder the past week and our reading through Exodus, we are reminded in Exodus 20:8-11 of one of the reasons for keeping the Sabbath–a seventh day of rest.  God wants us to remember his pattern of creation.  He Himself set the pattern of working six days and resting on the seventh day.  No work was to be done!  It was a day holy to the Lord because He blessed it and made it holy. In New Testament times, the first day of the week was used for worship and rest in celebration of the resurrection.  The main thing was to take one day out of seven, not necessarily Saturday or Sunday.  In fact New Testament truth teaches that each day is the Sabbath day–a day to rest in Jesus!  (Hebrews 4:6-11)

I was in a prayer group with some pastors this past week and one was telling how when we older ones grew up, Sunday was really a day of rest.  Stores weren’t open and restaurants were closed.  There were no movie theaters open and no TV in those days.  The generation of our day doesn’t remember that day.  A day of rest is foreign to them.  They have no reference for the command of the Lord to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy!  I believe we would be happier and healthier if we heeded this simple plan of the Lord.  Take time to rest in the Lord and be refreshed for the week ahead!  May you rest  in Jesus Christ and his finished work each and every day!

“Come unto me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Scripture reading for January 31st: Exodus 35-40

I love to have fun!  When I am visiting someone in the hospital and find a room full of people, I sometimes say, ” When I see this many people, the first thing I think of is taking an offering!”  I’m sure this helps clear out the room–I’m usually left alone before long!  Just kidding!

In our reading in Exodus today, Moses was responding to the Lord’s earlier instructions (Exodus 25:1-2).  The Lord told Moses to have the Israelites bring Him an offering.  He wanted those who were willing to give as their heart prompted them.  His job was to receive the offering from the people and use it for God’s intended purpose.

Some people feel that when they give, they give to the pastor or to the church.  They feel that money is not too spiritual and that giving is sort of worldly.  Sometimes, they just don’t understand why the church needs money and find ways to justify not giving any themselves.  God’s heart is that we become willing givers.  He is the original giver and sets an example for us that is hard to beat.  Everything we have has come from His hand!  He sends rain for the earth and crops.   His gracious giving is hard to understand, considering how unfaithful we sometimes can be and wasteful, too.

Jesus taught that our giving was a prerequisite for determining God’s measure back to us.  “Give and it shall be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38)  When we are stingy with our giving, we set limits on how much God can give back to us.  We open God’s hand when we open our hand and pocketbook.  These people in Exodus willingly gave a huge amount of gold, silver, bronze, oil and cloth.  They also freely gave of their time and talents to make what was needed for God’s house!  They gave so willingly and freely that Moses had to tell them to stop! (Exodus 36:6-7)

Wow!  As a pastor, I would like to experience that kind of generosity!  I would love to stand up on Sunday morning and beg the people to put away their offerings and not give that day!  However, when we understand that God our Father is a great giver and that He is blessed when we give Him an offering, why would I as your pastor want to hinder God’s blessing and measure back to you by telling you to hold back?  Giving is the one place in Scripture that God says you can test Him!  Malachi 3:8-12 instructs us to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse (where you are fed), and God will open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing you cannot contain.  May the Lord open the windows of heaven on you as you “bring him an offering”!

“Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound to every good work.” 2nd Corinthains 9:7-8

Scripture reading for January 30: Exodus 32-34

In our reading today, the nation of Israel quickly turned away from their commitment to obey God alone.  Moses was on the mountain in the cloud and fire for 40 days.  He was receiving the tablets with the 10 Words from the Lord.  The people came to Aaron, who was left in charge and asked for gods who would lead them.  Aaron gave in quickly and asked for gold earrings and ornaments.  The people gave freely and soon Aaron had fashioned a golden calf as the god that led the people from Egypt.  They made hasty plans for a festival, built an altar and sacrificed.  They bowed down to the calf-god  made by Aaron. God’s anger and jealousy was aroused!

God spoke to Moses about the idolatry and told him to leave Him alone so He could destroy them.  (Exodus 32:8-10)  God’s verdict–”They are a stiff-necked people.”  Stubborness is as the evil of idolatry and rebellion is as the sin of divination.  (1st Samuel 15:23)  Sin leads to death!  God is jealous!  (Exodus 34:14)  God had just written the tablets on which he emphasized with two commands the order to have no gods before Him and to make no idols.  (Exodus 20:3-6)  Moses smashed the tablets in holy anger indicating the breaking of God’s Word by the very people who had sworn to obey!  (Exodus 32:19; Exodus 24:3)

Moses, however did pray and intercede with God, asking Him to spare the people.  He asked on the basis of God’s reputation and promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Moses was well aware of the Covenant and God’s promises!  These were precious promises that caused these patriarchs to live by faith and walk by faith.  God listened but judgment still fell on those who sinned.

Moses called for those on the Lord’s side and the Levites stepped up.  They had to strap on swords and execute those who participated in the idolatry, even if it was their brother, friend or neighbor!   (Exodus 33:27-2)  Three thousand were executed that day.  Sin is deadly, particularly idolatry!  God is jealous! Israel was His Bride!  From her would come His Son, the Messiah!

The lessons for us today are plain.  This loving and compassionate God (Exodus 34:6-7) will not tolerate idolatry and sexual immorality.  These nearly always occur together because they are closely related.  Lying goes with them, too. Note Aaron’s response about just throwing the gold into the fire and an idol coming out!  We are all born into idolatry.  The “self” or “Big I” is our first and biggest idol!  We are stiff-necked because we don’t want to get rid of this idol and truly worship God.  The sword represents a slaying of the flesh!  The flesh must be crucified!  Idolatry is a work of the flesh.  (Galatians 6:19-20)  The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God brings conviction which can lead us to repent and forsake idolatry!  We must walk by the Spirit and allow His fruit to grow in our lives.

Bow your neck today in reverence and prayer to the merciful and compassionate Lord who paid to free us from the sin of idolatry.  No more stiff-necks among the people of God!  Jesus is interceding for us like Moses of old.  Instead of smashing the tablets, He kept them fully for us and shed His blood to cleans us from sin and death!  What a Savior!

Scripture reading for January 29th: Exodus 28-31

A priest’s job is to mediate between men and God.  Men who are dealing with God must be holy and proper.  If those assigned and prepared for this job were not obedient, death could result and did on occasion!  (Leviticus 10:1-6)  Just as God gave great detail in how his Tabernacle would be built, He also gave great detail about the men who would serve in His house!  They had to pay attention to detail again.

Two other stones, the urim and thummin were  also in the breastpiece, right over Aaron’s heart.  (Exodus 28:30) These stones were to enable Aaron to make godly decisions in accordance with God’s will.  These stones’ names mean “lights” and “perfections”.  They have to do with the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden only in God.

The turban for Aaron’s head was also made of fine linen.  It had a special gold plate with “Holy to the Lord” engraved on it.  Aaron was to wear that plate on the front of his turban whenever he ministered. (Exodus 28:36-39)

So it is that Jesus Christ is our High Priest forever living to make intercession for us!  (Hebrews 7:23-25)  He carries our names on his breastpiece like precious stones and we are over His heart!  In Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge! (Colossians 2:2-3) He stands as the only mediator between God and man, a mixture of earthly (He is a man) and heavenly (He is God). (1st Timothy 2:5-6)  Let’s face it, Jesus is dressed to meet with God on our behalf!  He is better than Aaron or his line because he lives forever.  He is seated because his work is finished for our redemption.  He is royalty in heaven and on earth!  He offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins.  What a Savior!

One of the important lessons in this part of Scripture is this: are you dressed to meet with God?  It is not so much a matter of clothes as it is of our heart.  Are we going to Jesus as our way to the Father?  Do we go in faith in His sacrifice?  Are we going humbly?  Are we seeking the proper attire of holiness?  Examin yourself today and get dressed to meet with God!

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to symphathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16