Daily Devotions

Exodus 12:29-30, At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

Isn’t it amazing when things work out just as God said they would? It shouldn’t be, God is the only one we can really 100% put our trust in. We are not told all the details of what happened here, only that things happened just as the Lord had promised. All the firstborn in Egypt were struck down by the Lord. Moses tells us from the highest position in the land, Pharaoh, to the lowest position, the prisoner in the dungeon, all of the firstborn were killed. And it happened to the livestock as well, just as the Lord had promised.

This might lead us to some questions. What happened to them? How did they die? Was it a trauma? Was it medical? Exactly what happened? We are not told those details, and though we might be curious, it would serve no real purpose for us to know (other than to satisfy our curiosity). The important thing is that God kept his word. When the Egyptians got up during the night, there was a dead body in every house. There was a person they all loved, cared for, who had not appeared sick before, suddenly dead. We can only imagine the loud wailing that was going on.

This might lead us to more questions. Why would God kill all of those folks? What had they done to the Israelites? It was Pharaoh who refused to let them go. We might try to find some reasons here: all of the Egyptians benefited from the slave labor, the nation (if not each individual) had mistreated these Israelites, and so forth. But ultimately, we are left with no solid answers. As the old hymn states, God works in mysterious ways. Though that statement is not in the Bible, we can certainly see it played out. Think of your own life, could you have possibly imagined you would be where you are now, and would you have used the ways God did to get you there? I know we all go through ups and downs, but for those who are faithful, God has promised to lead, provide, and care for them. We might not understand the how, but we can certainly see the results. So, we need to learn to trust God more in the process.

Father, thank you for working in my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 12:31-32, During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”

I wonder what happened during the night, obviously the Lord’s destroyer passed through. And obviously all the firstborn were killed. I do wonder how they were killed, but that really doesn’t matter. But what I’d really like to know is, how did they find the dead? Did some of the Egyptians sit up all night to watch? Did they not sleep well, knowing and dreading what was coming? Did they get up frequently to check on their children? Or did they just randomly wake up, maybe to go to the bathroom, and find their firstborn dead? And can you imagine the weeping, wailing, and mourning that would ensue?

But when Pharaoh realized what had happened he summoned Moses and Aaron, at whatever time it was, and he told them to leave. Leave my people, he said. Take all of your people, young and old, men and women, children and adults, take all your animals as well, flocks and herds. Take whatever you have and get out of my land! Pharaoh has had enough. He simply wants these people gone. He realize the damage and destruction that has been done to the land, to the people, and to himself and his family. Sadly, sometimes it takes a person hitting the very bottom before they begin to look up. Pharaoh knows he has lost this contest.

And his last word to Moses? Bless me! We cannot know what is really in another person’s heart. In fact, we have enough trouble with our own heart. But it will later be clear Pharaoh has not really repented or changed his ways and his thoughts toward Moses and the Lord. But for now, all he can think is to ask Moses to bless him. So often, that is often our only thought too. We know we are in a mess. We might even realize it is our own fault. We might even realize we deserve what has happened. But the only thing we can think of, is to ask God to bless us. And while it is true that God causes the sun and rain to shine and fall on the righteous and the unrighteous, God will not bless sin. And we need to be sure that our pleading for God’s blessings are accompanied by a return to him. We need to repent of the things that got us in that mess. Think about Pharaoh, he had plenty of opportunities to release the Israelites. Now he is ready for them to go. But he will show his true colors when he later pursues them. We need to really repent, really change when we come to God and seek his blessings.

Father, help me repent so you can bless me too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 12:33, The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!”

I wonder how much information the average Egyptian had on the conflict between Moses and Pharaoh. In today's world, with 24 hour streaming news networks and social media, we think we know everything that goes on in the world in almost real time. But the days of Moses were far different. But to be sure word got around about what was going on. And as the plagues took place, you know that word got spread around. News, especially bad news, travels fast.

The Egyptians no doubt heard about each confrontation and saw the results of each plague. And they must have seen the Israelites smearing the blood the night before, maybe they asked them about it. I probably would have. And when they found all the dead firstborn, they were ready to be completely done with these folks and their God. They wanted them to leave and fast!

They were in fear of their own lives. They had seen all the plagues God had brought on their land. And they had to know these things were not accidents or coincidences. Those folks, like the magicians, recognized the finger of God. And they were ready for this powerful God to leave them. Think about that. In the same incident, one group wants God to leave and the other wants to get closer to God. Yes, but the Israelites were spared any deaths. Yes, but that is because they obeyed the Lord. The things that happen in our lives can either make us better or bitter. We are the one who gets to, no who must choose.

Consider a couple of days in your life. First is a great day, everything is going your way, you see the beauty of the world around you, you spend the day with family or good friends, it is a wonderful day; do you realize God has blessed you with this? Do you stop and thank the Lord for this day? Then there is a terrible day; an accident happens, a bad diagnoses is received, a good friend hurts you to the core, a financial crisis hits, whatever it is. Do you blame God or do you seek his guidance and comfort? Do you realize that God is there with you in both of those cases? Do you draw nearer to on the good day? Withdraw from him on the bad? Or do you seek God on both days? The songwriter has said, The God of the mountain is still the God of the valley. We need to love and serve him in both.

Father, help me realize I need you on the best and worst day of my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 12:35-36, The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. The LORD had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.

If you put your remembering cap on, and really concentrate, you will remember God told Moses when he first appeared to him in the desert, the Israelites would ask for these things. It sure is a long way from the Desert of Midian, where Moses was tending his father-in-law’s sheep to the palace of Pharaoh in Egypt. But Moses has remembered this, and he has instructed the Israelites accordingly. And it might seem cruel, on the heels of the death of the firstborn, the Israelites go and ask for gold, silver, and clothing. Back in chapter three, we see it was the women who were to go and ask the Egyptian women.

On one hand, this seems like a strange thing to do, go and ask for clothes and valuables after a death. But this was God’s plan to pay the Israelites for their hard labor in Egypt those 400 years. As slaves, they had not been able to acquire or store up anything, all they had were the clothes on their backs. In a sense God had the Egyptians pay them for their labor. But God made the Egyptians favorably disposed to the Israelites. All throughout the plagues, the people saw the Israelite God performing these miracles. These things were not done in a corner, you know word about what Moses and Aaron had said to Pharaoh would have spread, you know when there was a distinction made between the Israelites and the Egyptians people would talk about it.

And maybe the Egyptians were glad to pay the Israelites to leave. They had suffered under their God long enough. Some have suggested the clothes they asked for had belonged to the Egyptian firstborn, so they would no longer be needed, and they would be a reminder of their loss every time they looked at them. And what good are silver and gold, when your child is dead? God has ways of looking our for his people. There were no stores on the way to the Promised Land. And as we know, they wandered forty years before they actually arrived. Whether we understand it or not, God always supplies our needs.

Father, thank you for supplying. In Jesus’ name, amen.

And as a side note, God prevented their clothes from wearing out for the 40 years they wandered in the desert, Deuteronomy 8:4. But the children especially would need more clothes as they grew, and sometimes adults change sizes as well.
 
Exodus 12:37-38, The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.

It is staggering to think about how many people left Egypt that morning. If every man had a wife, that is 1.2 million people. If each couple had one child, that is 1.8 million Israelites that Moses is about to lead through the desert. Can you imagine the logistics that would take? Just think about the food, water, shelter and medical care these people would require. Think about the disputes that would arise on the way. Think about simply getting a message from the front of the line to the back of the line. It is staggering.

And then we read that many other people went up with them as well, the number swells even more. The simple truth of the matter is that people are attracted to the true and living God. People had seen God’s power, they had seen his protection of the Israelites, and they wanted that as well. Maybe we need to remember that when we share the good news with others. How many others went with Moses? We are not told. And then there are all the animals, large droves of both flocks and herds. This is a massive movement out of Egypt.

Had I been Moses, I would have looked at the multitudes and thought, There is no way I can do this, no way I can lead these people anywhere. And I would have been exactly right. Moses does not lead these people out, at least not by himself. God is the real leader, we will see that time and time again as the people make their way to the Promised Land. That is not to take anything away from Moses, he was a faithful, committed servant of God. And he was willing to simply do what God asked him to do. We need to have that same attitude, that we are God’s servants, and we need to be willing to do whatever God asks us to do. It is not about our talents or abilities, it is not about our strength or intelligence, it is about our willingness to follow God. And have no doubts, God is faithful, he will provide exactly what we need to follow him.

Father, help me lead others with your strength. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 12:39, With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

Here we really see the story behind the unleavened bread. For the feast of Passover, they did have time to back regular bread, bread with yeast or some leaven in it. But when they celebrate this meal in the future, in the Promised Land or wherever they are, they are to eat unleavened bread. It is to be a reminder to them of the swiftness in which they left the land of Egypt.

What are some reminders for us, for you and me? I once met an old man at the doctor’s office. He had a cheap baseball cap on, with a reference to a WWII army air corp unit, and I asked him about it. He flew on one of the bombers out of England during the war. He asked me if I had even seen a “what if? And was a little confused and told him I didn’t think so. He pulled out an old cheap change purse from his pocket, like people used to carry. Inside were a few coins and a worn piece of metal. He gave me the metal and asked it I knew what it was. Of course I didn’t. It was a piece of German flak that had been shot at his plane, it had gone through the panel of the plane and lodged in an ammo can right beside him. He told me he carried it as a reminder of what if. I thanked the old man, not only for his service, but for his story.

What do you have that reminds you of something special? A wedding band or other piece of jewelry, some knick-knack on a shelf, a scar somewhere, a pocketknife, a favorite spoon or pot, a food, or something else? It is probably a rather ordinary thing, but the meaning behind it is powerful. God gave those folks unleavened bread at a feast to remind them of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. In the New Testament, Jesus took that bread at the Passover feast and gave it a new meaning. In Communion it reminds us of Jesus’ body that was broken for us, for our sin, for our spiritual freedom. And as we partake of it each week, we are reminded of the price that was paid for us.

Father, help me never forget. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 12:40-41, Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD's divisions left Egypt.

430 years is a long time for the Israelites to be in Egypt. Think about what happened in those years. They went from being the honored guests of Pharaoh, brought in at the request of Pharaoh himself, to honor his second-in-command Joseph, to being slaves. But leadership in the nation changed, and they lost their place. They became slaves, and as such they were brutally treated; beaten, oppressed, killed, even ordered to kill their sons.

Something else happens when people live in a foreign place for a long time, those folks change; their culture changes, their customs change, their language changes, even their attitudes and thought processes change. To be honest, the Israelites were not a nation when they went down to Egypt, it was a man and his sons and their families, seventy people in all. They had been shepherds all their lives, so Pharaoh allowed them to continue doing that and even put some of them in charge of his animals. Life was good to begin with, but things change; they always change.

At this point, they are just the descendants of Israel, not really a nation. God has interacted with the family over the years; speaking to the patriarchs, calling them to move and making a covenant with them, blessing them no doubt, revealing snatches of information now and then. But these people are about to become a mighty nation, they are going to receive land of their own, and eventually they will become the super power of the world in their time. But how much of the Egyptian culture have they taken on? Remember, this is before God reveals the Law to them. Though God is still working in their lives, that is obvious, they still have a lot to learn and a long ways to go. But then again, don’t we all?

Father, help me learn more and follow you more closely every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 12:42, Because the LORD kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the LORD for the generations to come.

How did the Lord keep vigil for the Israelites that night? It depends on which night we are talking about. If we are talking about the night of the Passover, it would mean that the blood that was on the doors provided the identifying mark for the Lord to protect that house from the destroyer. And this is certainty true and we have talked about it before. But that is kind of the point, the Israelite are never to forget this. They are to keep vigil as a reminder of that night they were spared from death.

But if that night is the night they left Egypt, how did the Lord keep vigil over them? We read a little later, and then we see it quite often, that the Lord went before them in a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, 13:22-23. In all that is happening as they leave Egypt, and this is getting a little ahead of the story, Pharaoh changes his mind and comes after the Israelites. But that pillar of fire and cloud, would be a great comfort to the people, to know that night or day, God was still with them. Later, in 14:19f, we will read about the pillar going between the Israelites and the Egyptians. God was constantly watching over his people, and they needed to remember that.

And we need to remember that too. God is still watching over his people today. We do not see a pillar of fire or cloud, but don’t we see God’s protection and care every day? God protects us from things we see and often fear and from things we don’t even know about. We need to keep vigil as well, we need reminders in our lives that God is faithful, that he is watching, and that he is acting on our behalf. These reminders are for us, because we tend to be forgetful and take things for granted.

Father, help me keep vigil and honor you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 12:43-45, The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal: “No foreigner may eat it. Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised him, but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat it.

If you look ahead to verses 50-51, you will see that Moses gives these instructions to the Israelites, they did just what Moses commanded, and on that very day the Lord brought them out of Egypt. All that to say, these instructions seem to be given for the first Passover, but they are for all the Passovers to come. As we read these first requirements, they do seem much more applicable for the future than the present. But God wants his people to be prepared, to know how to serve him.

We see in this commandment, the exclusive nature of the relationship God has with his people. Why would God exclude the foreigners from this meal? We will see, over and over, when they get to the Promised Land and Moses gives the law, need for the Israelites to remain pure, to not intermingle with the local people of the land, don’t marry them, or have them marry your sons or daughters. This is not about race at all, it is about religion. God does not want his people to be influenced by those other religions. God knows, and we see it proven over and over, that when they intermarry, their faith gets weaker, they mingle the worship of the true God with the false religions of the world. And this is still going on today. God was then, and still is, protecting his people.

But notice there is a provision for outsiders, it deals specifically with slaves. To be sure the Israelites didn’t have any slaves in Egypt, they were slaves themselves. But they will not always be, and one day they will prosper. And when they bring these people into their household, and they convert to the Jewish religion, signified by circumcision, they are to be included in the Passover. From the beginning, God has been concerned about not just the Jews, but the Gentiles as well. God already planned for all people to come into his kingdom. The Jews will not be excited about this, and probably there are few Gentiles who come to faith in these days. But God’s love is clearly for all people.

Father, thank you for including folks like me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 12:46, “It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones.

This seems like a strange command from God. Why would they have to eat it inside? My first thought was, this is no picnic. But why? Maybe it is a reminder of the way they are to eat the Passover, in haste. Picnics are usually lazy events; you lounge around, enjoying the scenery, watching the birds flit through the trees, the kids playing, and in no hurry. But I think there is something more.

The Passover was to be a family celebration, sure the whole nation was to keep the Passover, but it was to be done by each individual family group. This is a powerful reminder of where the teaching about the Lord needs to originate. Children need to be taught about the Lord at home. If you know much about the Passover celebration, it is quite a ceremony. There are Scriptures to read, passages to say, acts to do, and each step is explained along the way. Parents would have to be ready to show these things to their children, and they would have to explain the why behind what they did. Parents are to train up their children in the way they should go.

The meat is not to be taken outside of the house. What they do not eat, they are to burn up, look back at verse 10. What is this about? I like leftovers and sharing them is a good way to use them up. But this lamb, this Passover lamb, was a sacrifice, it was something that was completely given over to God. We need to learn to give ourselves to God that way as well, Paul calls us to be living sacrifices in Romans 12. and we are to hold nothing back. This also makes us think about another sacrifice that will be made, the perfect and final Passover lamb, Jesus himself. And that is the point of not breaking any of the lamb’s bones. That is a prediction of the death Jesus died for us.

You see, this celebration and ceremony was far more than a meal. It was to remind them of their bondage and their freedom. And God was preparing the Israelites, and indeed the whole world, for the sacrifice of Jesus. We need to always remember what was done for us.

Father, thank you for the perfect Passover Lamb. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 12:48-49, “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the LORD's Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it. The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.”

The Lord has just revealed through Moses and Aaron that no foreigner is to eat of the Passover meal, v 43. But here, he tells us what to do if a foreigner wants to celebrate the Passover. Is this some kind of contradiction, did God forget what he just told Moses? No, but God is showing his mercy and grace to the whole world here.

Sometimes as Christians, we think everyone ought to do things the way we do them. They ought to have the same understanding we do, see things the way we see them, and so forth. And this might especially be true of those who call themselves Christians. God is telling Moses, both for the Israelites and for us today, not everyone will be committed to the Lord and we should not expect it to be so. The Jews will become a very exclusive nation, condemning anyone who was not like them. But God is here giving a way that outsiders may come to him. The Jews should not expect the Gentiles to keep the Passover, the Gentiles have no understanding of it since they were not lead out of Egypt. But if they do come to know the Lord and they would like to celebrate, that is a good thing.

And so God gives the regulations here for the Gentiles to he included. To be circumcised would be a major commitment for a Gentile to make. God wants the Gentiles to not just come to eat a special meal, but to make a real commitment to him. And that is just what he wants of all of us, Jew or Gentile. God wants us to consider and count the cost, he wants us to weigh the options of following him or not. And we are to sincerely follow God.

Father, help me consider the options and make a full commitment. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 12:50-51, All the Israelites did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron. And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.

Verses like this are an encouragement to me: The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded. Isn’t that a great sentence, a great thing to be said about someone? Those folks heard what the Lord had commanded, and they did it. Simple. Don’t you hope folks will say something like that about you one day?

But it’s kind of a double edged sword. We know that no one can keep all the commands God has given; we fail, our friends fail, even the Israelites will fail, over and over. But at least they got it right once! And we also know that we cannot be saved by the things we do. We fail to do what the Lord commanded, and we can never do enough good to make up for that bad. That might be a discouragement to some; I can’t do all I should, I am doomed to fail, so why even try? And I honestly understand that, I really do.

But we need to change our perspective on doing what God commands. It is not a matter of we MUST do those things, it is a matter of we GET TO do those things. Do you see the difference? We are not doing those things to simply avoid punishment, not doing them to check things off a list, not doing them to earn our salvation. But we do those things to put a smile on our father’s face, to make him happy, to please him, to honor him, and to show him our love and gratitude for what he has done for us.

Paul tells us we are saved by grace through faith, Ephesians 2:8. God has done the work, he has paid the price, our salvation is a gift from God. We simply have to accept it. The change in our lives should be one of gratitude and thankfulness for what he has done for us. We ought to live lives that honor him in all we say and do.

Father, help me do everything to please you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 13:1-2, The LORD said to Moses, “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

The firstborn of everything belonging to the Israelites was to be consecrated, the KJV says sanctified, to the Lord. But what does that mean? What are the Israelites actually to do? We will get to some of the particulars in verses 11 and following, when God gives some more information on this. But for now, let’s think about what it means to consecrate the firstborn and why.

To consecrate or sanctify means to set apart, God is commanding that all of the firstborn males be set apart for him. Some of the animals will be sacrificed, while others will be redeemed, bought back with another animal, for example. Do you remember, back in the beginning, Abel brought the firstborn of his flocks and sacrificed them to the Lord, Genesis 4:4. That sacrifice pleased God, we ought to be willing to give God the first and the best of all we have, since whatever we have is from his hand to begin with. This is the first place God makes such a command to the Israelites.

So, what does he command it here? It is to be a reminder of the death of the firstborn males in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh has a stubborn and hard heart, and he refused to let the Israelites go, the plague of the death of the firstborn was the last plague God brought on the nation. And it was the one that broke Pharaoh. God simply wants the Israelites to remember their freedom came with a price. And maybe that stubbornness comes with a price too. But this is really setting us up for the death of another firstborn that will buy freedom, not just for the Jews, but for all the people on earth. God will send his firstborn son, Jesus, to die for us. If God gave his best to us, can we give him any less?

Father, thank you for your sacrifice. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 13:3-4, Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the LORD brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving.

How many times have I got to tell you? Have you ever heard that? Or maybe said it to someone? Sometimes I feel like that is what God is telling those folks in the Bible. Listen, this is important, so I am telling you again. And you know those Bible folks, they seem to forget and go off on some tangent and get themselves into trouble all too often.

And so again, God tells them to mark this day and celebrate it year after year. God will give them further instructions in the following verses, but it starts with this reminder to remember. And this is not the only thing God wants those Jews to remember, there are a number of feasts God will give to them, there are sacrifices, rules about their relationship to God, their relationship to each other, to their families, friends, and so forth. There are laws about their daily lives, and almost every other thing. God knows those folks are forgetful and will need all the reminders they can get.

And you know, we are pretty forgetful too, aren’t we? What are some of the things you do to remember? It might be a silly thing, like tying a string around your finger, does anyone ever really do that? Sometimes it might be to put a sticker somewhere you will see it. Maybe cross your fingers in a conversation. Many people write themselves notes or make lists. But we all need ways to remember the things that are really important. And God gives us those things that can serve as reminders to us as well.

Father, help me to never forget. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 13:5, When the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month:

I wonder what these Israelites thought about going into the Promised Land. Do you know how many times that phrase, Promised Land, is used in the Bible? Only once in the NIV and not at all in the KJV. Hebrews 11:9 talks about Abraham, By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. The KJV says in the land of promise. Those Israelites knew God had promised the land to Abraham and his descendants, but it seems they didn’t think about it the way we do today.

And let’s be honest, as slaves in Egypt for 400 years, what did they think about this promise to their ancestors? Did they even think about it? Doesn’t the promise of a home, of land, of freedom, seem far away to oppressed slaves? I’m sure they though and dreamed about a better life, but what hope did they think they had in achieving that goal? We are taught to work hard to accomplish our goals, and rightly so. But for slaves, for folks who were owned by another, that must seem like an unlikely and far away idea. And yet God had promised, had sworn to their ancestors they would receive a land of milk and honey, of abundance.

But we need to have faith in God and his promises. We are all in different places in our lives, and there is no doubt we change as we get older, and hopefully we mature along the way. (Though I do know a good amount of immature old folks.) But think about the promises God has given to you and about the promises God has kept in your life.

Father, help me hold fast to your promises. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
No devotions tomorrow, I’m going off the grid.

Exodus 13:6-7, For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the LORD. Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders.

We’ve talked before about the unleavened bread and getting rid of the yeast. This is a reminder during the feast of the haste in which the Israelites left Egypt. There was no time for them to let their bread rise. And most folks would agree that a big fat yeast roll is much better than a flat cracker. It was also a reminder to them of their hardships in Egypt, the suffering they did as they were slaves there for 400 years. And we will soon see that the trip to the promised land was not a particularly pleasant one, either.

We’ve also talked about the yeast being like a teaching, how a little works through the whole batch of dough. Jesus and Paul both spoke about this in the New Testament. We need to be careful who we listen too and who we believe. Probably the best thing we can do is be like the Berean Jews in Acts 17:11, who examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul was teaching, preaching, and telling them was true.

In preparing for the feast, they were to go throughout their houses and remove all the yeast or leaven. That also is a reminder to us of how closely we need to search our hearts and how we need to get rid of every trace of things that will hinder our relationship with the Lord. Too often, we become lackadaisical about things; thinking a little won’t hurt, that won’t make a difference, this is not important. But we need to be very careful because those little things add up.

Father, help me stay rid of all bad things. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 13:8-10, On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt.' This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the LORD is to be on your lips. For the LORD brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.

What do we tell our children? Honestly think about that for a few minutes. What are the lessons we are teaching them? What are we telling them about the important things in life, what are we telling them are the important things? We need to be sure that we speak words of truth to them. I know, many times children don’t want to listen to their parents, but we still have a responsibility to tell them. We have more years of experience, and we should have years of wisdom and we want to tell them so they can avoid some of the troubles we faced.

But we also need to be aware of the things we are showing them are important. Simply put, our lives need to match our words. These parents were not to simply tell their children about the exodus from Egypt, they were to show them by this meal every year. It was to be a reminder, a visible, physical experience of what these young people were to learn. They were to get rid of the yeast, select a lamb, slaughter it, roast it, have bitter herbs, eat in haste, wear their traveling clothes, and so forth; this was a prolonged object lesson.

They were to do more than just say the words and eat a meal once a year, they were to live in such away every single day that it was a reminder to their children of the love, concern, and power God has for his people. There are far too many who tell all the right things, but they live the opposite way. Their walk does not match their talk. Moses is warning them and us about this here. We are forgetful people, and we need constant reminders. But more than just being reminded, we need to put those things into action.

Father, help me live the life you desire. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 13:11-13, After the LORD brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your ancestors, you are to give over to the LORD the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the LORD. Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.

The Israelites leave Egypt at the cost of the firstborn. We have talked about this before, the firstborn son from Pharaoh himself to the firstborn son of lowest slave was killed when the Lord passed through the land. Even among the flocks and herds, the firstborn male was killed. The only exception was for the Israelites, they had faithfully obeyed God and splashed the blood on their doorframes, as God had instructed.

But that night was not the ed of the story, they were to remember this as they celebrated their freedom in their new homeland. Every firstborn male was to be given over to the Lord. The animals that were fit to be sacrificed, were to be sacrificed. The animals that were not appropriate for sacrifices were to be redeemed, bought back with a lamb, and the lamb was to be sacrificed. There were to be no exceptions. Later, God will give more instructions on redeeming the firstborn son as well. But they are to remember that he belongs to the Lord. There are to be no exceptions for this rule.

The Passover was to be an annual reminder to the people, but births happen every day. So this was a constant reminder for the Israelites that God had redeemed them from their slavery and oppression. It was a constant reminder of the price that was paid for their freedom. It was a constant reminder of the love and goodness of God to them. And just like them, we need constant reminders in our lives as well. What are the things that remind you of the goodness of God? What reminders do you set up for yourself?

Father, help me never forget. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 13:14, “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?' say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

How often do children ask questions? We might be tempted to say a million or some other huge number. And honestly, that would probably not be too far off. But that is what children do; they learn. Think about it, a baby is born knowing nothing. They soon learn what it means to be hungry and dirty. And the only way they can communicate that new found knowledge is by crying. But everything is new to them, every taste, every smell, every texture, every sight, every sound, it is all new. And as soon as they learn to speak, they start asking questions; How? What if? Why?

God knew those children would ask their parents about this meal. Why do we do things so different this time? Why the bitter herbs? Why the roasted lamb? Why do we dress the way we do? Why do you sacrifice the firstborn male lamb? Why do you redeem the donkey? Why? Why? Why?

And parents need to be ready to answer those questions, God has provided them all the answers they need right here, in his word. Those folks are to learn the lesson from the time they are children and then they will be able to pass it on. We need to do the same, regardless of our age or family situation, we need to learn all we can about what God wants from us and we need to be passing it onto the next generation. That was and is God’s plan to spread his name, his power, and his message. One person tells another person who tells another person, and so forth. We need to be ready to do our part in the process.

Father, help me to tell someone about you today. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 13:15, When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the LORD killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the LORD the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.'

Doesn’t it seem a bit harsh that the Lord killed all the firstborn in Egypt? I mean, it was Pharaoh who was so hard-hearted, not all of the people. And I am sure we could argue that many of the Egyptians certainly didn’t want to let their slaves go, but surely not everyone was a stubborn as Pharaoh. There were many people in Egypt that didn’t own Israelite slaves, there were many others who were slaves themselves, at least some of Pharaoh’s officials had urged him to let the Israelites go, since the plagues were ruining their country. The lowest slave had done nothing and could do nothing to bring about the release of the Israelites. And of course the animals had no part in holding the slaves. So, why did this happen?

It is always important to remember, God’s ways are not our ways. Honestly, God does things, or allows things, that make absolutely no sense to us, but that does not mean God is wrong. God knows far more about the situations than we do, we can only see what we can see, from one very limited perspective. God is omniscient, all knowing. He knows exactly what is going on, and what is in each person’s heart, what their motives are, what they are thinking, in fact, God knows them better than they know themselves. And we can rest assured, God is going to do the right thing.

And we live in a fallen, sinful world; bad things happen because of the sins we choose to commit and because of the sins that others commit. I might make a bad decision to drive drunk, I might get in an accident that kills or maims me, but I might also kill or maim someone else, who had not been drinking. They have to suffer for my poor choice, for my sin. I suppose the argument could be made they were not sinless either, just not guilty of this particular sin at this particular time. Paul points out in Romans, we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and also that the wages of sin are death. From that perspective, we are all living on borrowed time, we deserve death and have not collected yet. We might not be guilty of that specific thing, but we are all guilty of something. And we also can suffer for the sin of others.

This is a reminder that the Israelites freedom came at a price. And our freedom, our forgiveness comes at a price as well. God’s firstborn son died so that we could live, so that we could have freedom and forgiveness. We do not have to offer any more sacrifices, because God did that for us. We do have to accept that sacrifice on our behalf. And we need to be mindful of that sacrifice. We do not have to redeem our firstborn today, but we do have to sacrifice ourselves to the Lord, as living sacrifices. We must commit our self to God, and we ought to live a life that brings him honor. It is not that we HAVE to do the things that please God, we GET to do those things. It ought to please us to please God.

Father, let my life be pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 13:16, And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the LORD brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

I’m thankful that the Lord gives us reminders along the way. There are a couple mentioned in these verses. One is the Passover meal itself. It was to be an annual reminder of the death of the firstborn sons in Egypt and the way the Lord spared the Israelites. And the second is the sacrifice of the firstborn clean animals and the redemption of the unclean ones and the firstborn sons. God says, though Moses, these things will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead. They are to be ever present reminders.

We have reminders that we need to hold onto as well. When we gather with the church on Sundays, it is a reminder of the resurrection of Jesus. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper it is a reminder of the death of Jesus on our behalf. And of course, there are many other things that act as reminders for us as well. Creation itself is a reminder of God. And so on the list goes.

Later, God will tell the people to literally bind the words of God on their hands and foreheads. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day took this to an extreme, but the idea of a reminder and of carrying God’s word around with us is a good thing. I’m not suggesting you tie a little box to your head with Bible verses inside of it, but what are some things we can do to keep God’s word foremost in our thoughts, actions and daily lives? I know people have used many things for this purpose; WWJD bracelets, stickers, bracelets, rings, a cross in your pocket, a key chain, and so forth. None of those are bad ideas, but each of us has to come up with something that works for us. What will you use as a daily reminder of God, his word, and his goodness to you?

Father, keep me reminded. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 13:17, When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.”

Have you ever wondered why the Israelites didn’t just go straight into the promised land when they left Egypt? If you look at a map of the area, you will see it is a fairly straight shot to leave Egypt. There is plenty of land for them to travel through, between the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. And on that route, once they left Egypt they would be in what is Gaza today, which was part of the land God had promised their ancestors.

But God knew if they faced opposition from the people in the land, and the Philistines will turn out to be a real thorn in Israel’s side for many years to come, they might loose heart, get discouraged, and return to Egypt. And so, God leads them on a longer way, but one that will ultimately be better for them. That is not to say this way will not be hard itself, the next chapter will bear that out. And if they knew anything about the geography of the region, they certainly would have wondered about going this way; there was no bridge across the Red Sea, no way to get to the promised land except by turning back and going through the Philistine land. But that is the way God led them, and that is the way they went.

Do you ever think God leads you in certain ways to avoid potential problems, to keep you safe? There is no way those folks could know what was ahead, in either direction they took. And yet God did. Maybe God does the same thing for us; leads us to certain people and away from others, to certain places and away from others, along one route as opposed to another. God knows what is ahead for each of us, and God leads us in the ways we ought to go. The problem often comes in that we are stubborn and hard headed, and we want to go our own way. Instead of following God in the best way, we take the harder route and often have to suffer for it. We all need to do a better job of following God.

Father, help me follow you wherever you lead. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 13:18, So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.

This seemed a little curious to me as I read it yesterday. Pharaoh has finally given orders for the people to leave Egypt. They are not simply permitted to leave, they are driven out of the land. Pharaoh and all of the Egyptians are in mourning for their firstborn sons, and they know the Lord is responsible for it. They have had enough of the Israelites and their God. And so the Israelites get ready and leave in a hurry.

But this verse says they went out of Egypt ready for battle. That’s the curious part to me. What did these slaves have for armor, weapons, and so forth? How did they arm themselves? We know they plundered the Egyptians, by asking for clothes and such before they left, but did they ask for or receive any weapons? And what chance would this group of slaves, as numerous as they were, have against Pharaoh and his chariots, horses, and trained soldiers? I just wonder what those slaves looked like ready for battle. My imagination can picture some pretty weird combinations and some raggedy provisions. My mind shows me nothing fierce or formidable about this slave army.

But maybe that is exactly the point. These Israelites wanted freedom, and God provides it for them. As they leave, following Moses and therefore God, they are not an impressive group of folks, large to be sure, but still just slaves with a slave mindset. And yet, when they trust in God, whatever weapons and armor they might have, is all they need. That is the lesson for us today. We need to trust God completely. If God gives us a command, a job to do, someone to minister to, God is also going to provide all we need to carry out the task he assigns. Do we sometimes feel inadequate? There is no doubt. Do we sometimes doubt our ability and knowledge, sometimes we know we cannot do the task. But God always provides. Someone has said God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called.

Father, help me depend on you rather than me. In Jesus’ name, amen .
 
Exodus 13:19, Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”

It’s been four hundred years since Joseph died, and yet they still take his bones with them. Think about that for a few minutes. Exodus 50:26 tells us when Joseph died, they embalmed him and placed him in a coffin. Joseph was an important man in Egypt, second to Pharaoh himself. There is no way they skimped on preparing Joseph’s body for burial. Mummies have been found today from the ancient Egyptian era, and they are remarkably well preserved. I wonder if they took a mummified Joseph along with them. Or did they just take his bones, the Hebrew word can mean either. In many parts of the world, tombs were reused, so the bones and whatever was left after the body decayed were put into a much smaller box and left in the tomb. Either way, caring Joseph around that way, for 40 years no less, would have to be a chore for these Israelites.

But before he died, Joseph spoke to his brothers and the Israelites swore the oath, to take his bones with them to the place God had promised them. Think about that for a minute: Would you keep a promise that was made 400 years earlier? Obviously, you didn’t make that promise. And it would be a burden to keep the promise. And those folks left so quickly they didn’t have time for their bread to rise, but they did have time to go and get the bones of a long dead ancestor. It seems these folks had a far different idea of honor, of promise keeping than most folks do today.

I realize sometimes promises are made and things are out of our control. For example, you might promise to meet someone for supper and then traffic is terrible and your car breaks down. You might be late or not show up at all, a promise is broken.(But you can at least call them and tell them what is going one.) But I am far more concerned about the promises that are broken so easily, and with seemingly no thought or concern. Think about the promises people make to love, honor, and cherish their spouse until death do us part. Think about the promises a parent makes to a child to always be there for them. Think about the promise we make to the Lord to serve and honor him all of our lives. And yet, we see those promises broken every single day. Simply put, we need to do better, we need to pick things up a notch. Love is a choice; choose to love and honor your spouse as you should, regardless of what they do. Being a good parent is a choice; decide to do the right thing for your child regardless of the personal cost. Being faithful is a choice; keep the commitment you made to the Lord.

Father, help me be a man of my word. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 13:20-22, After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 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.

How did the people know where to camp? God lead them along the way. We have all heard abut the pillar of fire by night and the pillar of cloud by day that went ahead of the Israelites as they went through the desert. Can you imagine that? We have all seen clouds before. Maybe you have looked at the clouds and thought they looked like an animal or some other thing. Maybe you have watched the clouds moving across the sky. But this cloud was different. I simply remained in front of the mass. It moved and the people followed it. That is something we have probably never seen.

And what about the pillar of fire. We have never seen fire that simply would not go out. And there was no apparent source for this fire. No pile of wood, no gas hose, nothing. The fire simply was, and like the bush Moses saw before, the fire didn’t go out. And this fire moved. Again, it stayed in front of the group, until it moved and then the people followed it.

Maybe you are thinking, I wish God would do that for me. If God would appear as a pillar of cloud and fire to me, I’d know what to do and where to go. But God does appear to us, and he is always there to lead us. No, there is no pillar of fire, but God has given us all the instructions and guidance we need in his word. And we need to be looking for that, searching the Scripture, studying deeply the things of God. And in that way, God will be as a pillar of fire, giving us the right way to go. The problem is, we too often don’t want to follow God. We think his way is not what we want, restrictive, old fashioned, out of touch, not fun, or something. And so, we decide to go our own way. And that is a way that leads to death, sometimes physical but always spiritual.

Father, help me follow you every step of the way. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:1-3, Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.'

The Lord is the true guide of the Israelites as they begin their journey and will be the leader until they reach the promised land. In addition to the pillar of fire and cloud, God also speaks to Moses and gives him instructions. Those places might not mean much to us, but to Moses, the Israelites, and Pharaoh, it will be clear where they are and what they appear to be doing. God knows what Pharaoh will think, they left without a plan, their God is not guiding them, they don’t know where they are going. But God does have a plan.

Let’s save the plan and the commentary until we get to the verses, but we might be like Pharaoh on many occasions. What God is directing others, or even us, to do seems to make no sense. We spoke earlier about God leading them toward the Red Sea instead of straight into the promised land. God had a reason for that as well, to keep them from battle to begin with so that they would not be discouraged and want to return to Egypt. And so, there is no reason to think God does not have a plan here. But again let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

What do we do when it seems God is not making sense? What do we do when it feels like we are going around in circles? Maybe the first thing we need to do is make sure we are following God’s plan. We all have those times when, for whatever reason, we get off the track. We might think we are on the right path. We might think this is the path God has given us. Or we might realize we are going the wrong way, but we are determined to go that way anyway. So, make sure you are on the right track. And then trust God. So often, that is much easier said than done. But we have the past to remind us that God has never lead us astray and we have his promises that he never will. So, trust him and remain faithful.

Father, keep me on the right track. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:4, And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, 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 the LORD.” So the Israelites did this.

We all know Pharaoh made his own choices, just like all of us have free will. We talked before about how Pharaoh hardened his own heart and refused to let the Israelites go. And later God hardened his heart. God saw the direction Pharaoh was heading, but God knew it from the beginning, and he gave Pharaoh over to his desires, to the stubbornness of his hard heart. And it is as if God reinforced Pharaoh’s decisions and positions. And so it will happen one more time.

Pharaoh sees the Israelites out there in the desert, seemingly in confusion, hemmed in by the desert and the Red Sea, and Pharaoh thinks he can get the people back, or at least slaughter them. But God has a far different plan in mind, God is going to once again use Pharaoh to bring glory to himself. That makes me wonder. . .

Are we living lives that will bring glory to God? Are we living and doing things that will put a smile on our Father’s face? Are we letting our light shine before men, so they can glorify God? Or are we opposing God at every step, as Pharaoh did? I’m sure we don’t think we are that bad, right? But are we doing things that are contrary to God, his Law, and his plan? You see, we all serve as an example. Some are good examples and some are bad examples. But either way, whichever one you choose, God is always right and his truth and light will always shine forth. You can be an example of what to do or of what not to do. That is your choice, just as it was Pharaoh’s, until God reinforced his choices and hardened his heart. It’s up to you; positive or negative example.

Father, help me be a good example for those around me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:5, When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!”

How long does it take you to change your mind? We know there are some decisions we agonize over, thinking about each and every possibility, running over the different outcomes in our minds, weighing the pros and cons. And if we are not careful, we can think about a decision so long that we don’t have to make a decision. But that is making a decision in itself. And then there are some decisions we make in an instant. I suppose when Pharaoh woke up and all Egypt was weeping and wailing over the death of the firstborn sons, he didn’t ponder what he was going to do long. Get those people out of my land!

And especially when we make quick decisions, we go back and rethink them. That is what Pharaoh is doing here. He sees the Israelites in the desert, not really making any progress, with nowhere to really go to escape, and he is sorry he let them go. He realizes he has lost a massive chunk of his workforce. The jobs those slaves were doing were going to run short. We know the Israelites were making bricks for the massive building projects, but to be sure not all of them were in the brick making business. I wonder how many jobs they actually did in Egypt; shepherds, carpenters, cooks, house servants, builders, ditch diggers, trash collectors, farm workers, the list is endless. And now Pharaoh realizes they are all gone.

Back to the original question, How quick are you to change your mind? Honestly, sometimes we need to change our minds, we make bad choices to begin with. But when it comes to the decision to follow God, we must make up our minds and hold fast to that commitment. We know there are many distractions and temptations we might face. But we need to hold firm to the commitment we make to the Lord. We need to resist the things that try to turn us away, that try to show us what we are missing or losing, and we need to focus on the Lord.

Father, help me hold fast to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:6-9, So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. The Egyptians—all Pharaoh's horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

Pharaoh has clearly changed his mind. And he takes what he thinks is appropriate action. Just look back at the troops he musters to go and get the Israelites. I wonder what the difference is between the best chariots and all the other chariots. Were they of a special design? Newer models? Have some tactical advantage? Or maybe it was the men in the chariot that made them the best. Better drivers, better archers, better with whatever weapon they might use, sword, spear, or something else? He took all his chariots, horsemen, and troops against these “runaway” slaves.

It is clear Pharaoh means business here. I’m not sure if he hopes to capture them and bring them back as slaves again, that seems like the smartest thing to do. He has lost their labors and wants that back. But slaughter might be on his mind, sometimes we do let the spirit of vengeance get the best of us. I’ll show those folks they cannot mess with me. And in this case, Pharaoh will want to show that the Egyptian gods, and by extension Pharaoh himself who was considered a god, were stronger than the Israelite God. Who knows exactly what he had in mind, people in desperate situations do desperate things.

But for now, let’s put ourselves in the Israelites’ place. We will see their reaction soon enough, but what do you think you would have done? How would you have reacted? And remember, 3:18 tells us the Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle. Evidently they had some sorts of weapons and were ready to fight for their freedom. It is one thing to be brave when there is no enemy close by, but when they are thundering toward you; men yelling, horses neighing, chariots rumbling, feet stomping, that is an entirely different situation. And so, what would you feel? Would you trust in the Lord or give in to the natural fears? That is something to think about.

Father, help me trust you in tough times. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:8, The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly.

We have talked about the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart before. The point was made that Pharaoh first hardened his own heart. We see this first back in 8:15. When the frogs died, Pharaoh saw there was relief from that plague, and he hardened his heart. We see this again in chapter 8 and chapter 9. Pharaoh was a stubborn man, refusing to do what he didn’t want to do. It was his own choice.

And then in chapter 10, the Lord told Moses he had hardened Pharaoh’s heart. And we see that again in chapters 10, 11, and 14. Paul, in Romans 1, speaks about God giving men over to their sinful desires, shameful lusts, and to a depraved mind. But again, this was after those men had made their decisions to engage in their sinful behavior. It is as if God is saying, if you want to act that way, go ahead, I’ll let you, and I’ll give you more of it that you can imagine.

Maybe we see more of that than we realize. We see people giving into their evil desires and actions over and over. We see people getting more and more depraved. We see people going farther and farther down the wrong paths. They have free will, they are free to make their own choices, but maybe God is hardening their hearts as well. We’ve all known folks who stubbornly refused to change. In spite of the best evidence and encouragement to do right, they simply continued down their vile and self destructive paths. Is there anything we can do for those folks? Certainly we can pray for them. And like Moses, we can go to them and encourage them to do the right thing. If God can harden a heart, there is no doubt he can soften one as well.

And one more thing, let’s make sure we do not get into the position that God hardens our heart. God does not do this on a whim, but based on the choices and decisions we make. So, let’s be sure we do not get on that self destructive path.

Father, help my keep my heart soft and tender in your hands. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:10, As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the LORD.

This is another of those verses that make me think: What would your have done or can you imagine being there. It does help us understand the Bible, if we can make these things personal or put ourselves in those situations. So just imagine; there you are, one of the Hebrew slaves, freshly freed from Egypt, and there is the entire Egyptian army, bearing down on you. I think being terrified is an understatement. And what are you going to do in that situation?

The Hebrew word for cried out means call out for help, to appeal to someone. It does not mean they wept, though I’m sure some of them did just that. Those folks realized they were in a mess, they knew they could not deal with this, they knew they were about to be slaughtered unless something happened. And so, they did the only thing they could do, they called out to the Lord. We are not told what they said, but I’m sure it was along the lines of help us, save us. They realized they were lost without the Lord’s intervention.

And what do we do today when we are faced with a terrible situation, certain destruction, maybe even death? Some folks will buckle down, reinforce whatever strengths they have (or think they have), muster whatever is at their disposal. And I am not saying that is wrong, just that it is not enough. What we need to do is cry out to the Lord ourselves. We need to realize we are doomed, whatever we are facing is too big for us to handle alone. And so, we need to seek God’s strength, his power, his wisdom, his direction, his will for our lives. And we need to press even closer to him, trusting that he will take care of us. But it is also important to remember, God is not simply our 911 call. We need to start today to develop a relationship with him, so that when those tough times come, we already have a foundation. You see, today is the day to call out to the Lord. We need to commit ourselves to the Lord, regardless of our situation. If we trust God to make the bad times better, what can he do in the good times?

Father, help me trust you in good times and bad. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:13-14, Moses answered the people, “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.”

With the Egyptians marching in from one direction and the Red Sea blocking them in the other, the Israelites just know they are doomed. They cry out to the Lord and to Moses. And Moses tells them not to be afraid. That is one of those things that is easier said than done. Now would seem like the perfect time to be afraid! What are they going to do? How can they ever escape this situation?

Moses’ solution; stand firm and the Lord will take care of it all. That seems like a great plan, doesn’t it? When you think about it, that is what God still wants his people to do today. Stand firm in your faith. Stand firm in the belief that God will work all things out for the best. Stand firm in the knowledge that God has not forgotten you. Stand firm on the fact that God is still on the throne, still in control. Stand firm that God’s got this.

Had I been an Israelite that day, I’d still have gotten ready for the Egyptian attack. You might need to go to the doctors for testing and treatment. You might need to reach out to the person there is a problem with. You might need to tighten your belt in the tough times. You might need to look for another job. You might need to look for other friends. You might need to move on from whatever the situation is. But above all, stand firm in trusting the Lord to take care of what you can’t.

Father, thank you for fighting for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:15, Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on.

Does the Lord mean; Moses, why are you personally crying out to me or does he mean Moses, why are you Israelites collectively crying out to me? If I were a Hebrew scholar, I might be able to figure that out. We know the Israelites were crying out to the Lord, we talked about that yesterday. There is no doubt, this seems like a hopeless situation. The Israelites are trapped between the proverbial rock and the hard place, and they know it.

But Maybe the Lord is speaking to Moses personally. To be sure, Moses was crying out to the Lord as well. Was he terrified, like everyone else was? I would have been. But Moses has already seen the Lord perform miracles. We can think back to the burning bush and the exchange there and then there are the miracles in Egypt. But as the leader, Moses doesn’t know what to do. I doubt he thinks he can fight off the entire Egyptian army. But even if he does have a plan, doesn’t it make sense to call out, to cry out to the Lord? In fact, I can think of nothing that makes more sense.

And so, to be honest, we ought to cry out to the Lord more than we do. Many of us are the independent types; when trouble comes, we look for a way to handle it, we want to fix whatever situations we come across. And to a degree, that is a good trait. But we also need to realize that there are many things we cannot handle ourselves and we need to be asking for help. This might included seeking a professional, asking a friend, but it ought to always include asking God. God is our Father, he loves us more than we can imagine. And he wants us to call on him, to depend on him, and to trust him in whatever situation we find ourselves in.

The LORD said to Moses (and to us), “Why are you crying out to me?” And we must reply, “Who else are we going to cry out to?”

Father, help me never forget to cry out to you, In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:16, Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.

God told Moses to tell the Israelites to move on. But where are they going to go? They are trapped between the rapidly advancing Egyptian army and the Red Sea, there doesn’t seem like anywhere to go. And so God tells Moses to raise his staff and stretch out his hand over the sea. That seems like a great plan, right? Maybe Moses is wondering to himself, why didn’t I think of that? I’ll just raise my hand and that will be that.

And God said the waters would be parted and the Israelites can go through on dry land. Moses has never parted the waters before, and I bet he’s never even heard of anyone else doing it. Water doesn’t just separate into two parts, it flows to the lowest level, water gets as low as it can, it doesn’t stand up, doesn’t divide. Who has ever heard of such a thing?

So, here we see God telling Moses to do a very simple thing; hold your staff up. And that a miraculous thing will happen; the waters will divide. Could it really be that simple? And think about our lives. I know sometimes God calls us to a big project, a huge task, something that takes a lot of planning, prayer, preparation, many people involved, and so forth. Think Moses leading these people out, Noah building the ark, Solomon building and Nehemiah rebuilding the temple. But sometimes God calls us to the simplest things; wave at someone, give them a smile, make a visit, send a note, a card, a text, give them a hug. If we do the big things, we ought to be willing to do the small things.

And what of those miraculous things? We mentioned arks and temples. But how about just brightening someone’s day, making them feel important, showing them someone cares. For those folks, that might be a miracles too. And all it takes is a small gesture on our part and a little faith. But isn't that what we often read in the Bible? About faith like a mustard seed, the faith of a child. James tells us faith without works is dead. We need to put them both into practice.

Father, help me trust and obey. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:17, I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen.

Again with God hardening the hearts of people, this time it is the Egyptian army. And again, we might think this is unfair, God is not giving these folks a choice, he is forcing them to act in a certain way. But there is more to it than that. We have talked about God hardening Pharaoh’s heart several times, and we made the point Pharaoh hardened his own heart first. But what about all of these folks?

Let’s think about who they are. These men are the soldiers in the Egyptian army; foot soldiers, horsemen, chariot officers, and so forth. These men are trained and conditioned to follow orders, from the highest ranking officer to the lowest soldier. They simply do what they are told. The command came from Pharaoh himself, all the way at the top, to go after the Israelites. We are not told the exact orders, but to be sure they were to kill them or to bring them back. And orders are orders. And besides that, those men had lost their firstborn son as well. I wonder how many of those soldiers were not there because they had died, and those that were would be upset over the loss of their brothers in arms. It is easy to see why they would want to get the Israelites for personal reasons.

And that leads us to the mob mentality. They had no doubt been whipped into a frenzy. All of their superiors were telling them to get those runaway slaves. Their comrades were stirred up, both for personal reasons and because of these orders. In that kind of situation, it is easy to loose your personal identity, your morals, your values. It is so very easy to simply follow along with the crowd. Maybe that was a big part of what happened here. With everyone heading the same direction, it is hard to stand up on your own. How often have we, you or I, got carried away in this same manner? We went along with the crowd, or maybe it was just one or two others, and we knew what we were doing was wrong, we really didn’t want to do it, but we simply followed along.

Father, help me follow you and not the crowd. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:18, The Egyptians will know that I am the LORD when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

When the Lord hardened the hearts of the Egyptians, God had something in mind. He was going to use this to gain glory through Pharaoh and his army. That might make us think, does God cause bad things to happen to people in order that he might be glorified? That sounds like a very unGodly thing to do. God doing bad things in order to make himself look good. But is that really what is happening here?

I heard a discussion on the radio recently about God using the Babylonians and Assyrians to punish the Jews in the exile. The question was, How can God use those evil folks? Can God use evil at all? And doesn’t that kind of action strike at the heart of God’s goodness, holiness, and such? The answer is God can do anything or use anything he wants, and he does those things for his purposes, to bring about his will. That is not to say God manipulates folks into doing wrong things. As we said before, each of us has free will, we get to choose what we are going to do in any situation. And sometimes, often times, we make bad choices and there are consequences for those choices. And as we also pointed out from Romans, God gives us over to those bad choices we make, allowing us to make even more bad choices.

But God often uses those bad consequences to teach us lessons, to show us the truth, to discipline us, and in those cases, God is indeed glorified. The Egyptians are determined to get the Israelites, God allows that, even hardens their hearts so they don’t see the foolishness of what they are about to do. But the result is the deliverance of God’s people, a demonstration of God’s power, proof of his care for those who follow him. Do we always understand this, or do we even like it? Especially when we are the ones being disciplined or making the wrong choices? Absolutely not!

But what we fail to see or are unable to see, is the whole plan of God. We might be focusing on the bad, the death of the Egyptians, but should focus on the freedom of the Israelites. We should see the power of God to take care of his people. Sure, we might still have questions. But this is where faith comes into play as well, trusting God for the things we don’t understand.

Father, help me understand, as best I can, your plan. In Jesus’ name amen.
 
Exodus 14:19-20, Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

Something is about to happen, there can be no doubt about that. God has promised that he will gain glory over the Egyptians. The angel of the Lord, who apparently was leading the Israelites switched places, going from in front of them to behind them, between them and the Egyptians. And the pillar of cloud that was going ahead of them also came around behind as well.

I wonder what these things looked like? We have all seen clouds before, and seen them in different shapes. We have probably seen a factory releasing steam into the air, that looks like a pillar of cloud. Though the pillar between these groups didn’t dissipate like steam does. And I imagine that being a huge cloud, big enough to separate the groups. But what about the angel of the Lord, where does our imagination take us as to what he looked like? How big was he; giant sized or more human sized? Did he look like a man or something else? There are wild descriptions of some of the heavenly beings. Was he armed for battle or was his mere appearance enough to keep folks at a distance? I enjoying imagining some of these things, considering the possibilities in my mind. But at the end of the day, they are just my simple musings.

But what does matter is that God protected his people. And whether it was a huge heavenly warrior or a big puffy cloud, the result is the same; the Egyptians left the Israelites alone. Maybe we ought to be less concerned with the ways God works things out in our lives and be more content that he does. We know in every life there are some unexplainable blessings that come our way. Instead of trying to figure everything out, we need to thank the Lord for the blessings he sends. We need to trust that God will continue to take care of his people. And whether it is something we can see, like an angel or a cloud, or whether it is just seems to happen, we need to thank God for his blessings and protection on us.

Father, thank you for protecting me. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:21-22, Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

Back in verse 16 the Lord told Moses to stretch out his hand and raise his staff. And when Moses does, a miracle happens. A strong east wind began to blow, and the waters divided. As best I could tell from internet maps, the Red Sea seems to run NNW to SSE. So a strong east wind would, more or less, blow across the waters. And that seems to fit the narrative, with a wall of water on each side. The waters were not blown to one side or the other, but rather a dry path appeared between the walls of water. For those of us with a little gray hair, we remember the classic scene from the movie, The Ten Commandments, with Charlton Heston playing Moses, wind whipping, waters parting, and those huge walls of water on each side.

It would take a great deal of faith to pass through something like that. Who had ever heard of the waters parting like that, making a dry path through any body of water? And they had to wonder how long the waters were going to stay parted. Remember, there was a huge crowd of people who had to cross the sea, some commentators estimate up to a million people, it is going to take a minute for them to all get through. And what do the folks in the back of the line think? There is really no way to hurry a large group of people anywhere. And if they were terrified of the Egyptians, does this seem like a safer alternative? And yet they stepped out on faith.

How good are we at stepping out on faith? Too often, we seem to want to know the outcome before we start. What if we begin and fail? What if this doesn’t work out? I’m sure the Israelites thought much the same thing here. And yet they stepped into the dry sea bed. We need to be willing to do the same. We cannot control the water or the wind, only God can do that. And when he makes the way we need to do what he wants us to do. Will it be scary? Often times it is. Will it be hard? Often times it is. Will it be dangerous? Often times it is. And yet our faith needs to be strong enough that we are willing to follow God.

Father, help me step into the dry sea bed. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
Exodus 14:23, The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.

This is exactly what we would expect the Egyptian army to do. They were out to get the Israelites, the Egyptians would think they had them on the run, all they had to do was follow them and cut them down along the way. They might have even though that the walls of water on either side would be to their advantage, the Israelites could not scatter and get away.

But what about putting themselves between those walls of water? In hindsight, that doesn’t appear to be a very good decision. But I doubt they stopped to think about it. Water doesn’t behave that way, forming a dry space between to walls of water. And if that water piled up like that, it would eventually go back to where it came from, water naturally seeks the lowest place and easiest way to get their. This just seems like a bad idea.

Even so, don’t we often act just like those Egyptians? We do things without really thinking about them. We know there are going to be consequences for whatever we do, whether it is good or bad. But we don’t think about those, or maybe we simply ignore them. It’s possible we think that will not happen to me, I’ll be the exception. Or we think we will deal with whatever happens later, when it happens. And too often, when the inevitable trouble comes, we wonder why those things happen to us.

We need to think, to consider the actions we take. We must understand the consequences of our choices and actions. And honestly, the commands God has given us are always the right choice and the right way to go. We simply need to submit ourselves to God’s plan and live to bring him honor. That will simplify our decision making and save us from a world of hurt, and an eternity of punishment.

Father, help me choose to follow you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
 
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