February 2, 2023
“I will stand before you on the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink” (Exodus 17:6 NLT). The people of Israel complained of thirst, threatening to stone Moses for leading them into the desert. Moses brought their complaint to the Lord
February 1, 2023
“When Pharaoh finally let the people go, God did not lead them along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land” (Exodus 13:17 NLT). Why did God lead the Israelites the long way around to the Promised Land? He wanted to give them time
January 31, 2023
“Each Passover lamb must be eaten in one house. Do not carry any of its meat outside, and do not break any of its bones” (Exodus 12:46 NLT). Among the many instructions God gave Moses concerning the Passover Lamb was that it must be a male without blemish and that they were not to “break
January 30, 2023
“But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13 NLT). The Lord instructed Moses to have each household choose a male lamb without blemish to sacrifice and to spread its blood on their doorposts,
January 27, 2023
‘Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?”’ (Exodus 4:2 NLT). When Moses made excuses about his inability to answer God’s call to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, God asked, “What’s in your hand?” Moses replied dismissively, “A shepherd’s staff.” It was not a sword to fight with, nor a priceless
February 13, 2022
RECOGNIZING THE SACREDNESS OF OUR WORK The modern separation between the sacred and the secular is not the wholistic view of faith and vocation that is seen in the Bible. Consider these two men whom Moses named in Exodus because of their God-given talent as craftsmen. He described Bezalel as being “chosen” (Ex.35:30) by the
February 11, 2022
ROCK OF AGES CLEFT FOR ME The Lord hid Moses in the crevice of a rock, letting him catch a glimpse of His glory as He passed by. Many have meditated on the meaning of this rock. Among them was Augustus Toplady, who wrote the well-known hymn, “Rock of Ages.” First published in 1775, the
February 6, 2022
GOD SPOKE AND MEN WROTE The first five books of the Bible were written by Moses under God’s inspiration. This is how the Bible came to be: God spoke and men wrote. Paradoxically both fully human and fully divine. The Bible contains sixty-six books written by over forty God-inspired human authors of various cultures and
February 5, 2022
HOW DO YOU TREAT FOREIGNERS? God inspired Moses to write this instruction, including an appeal to the memories of the Israelites. Namely, that they should remember how it felt to be oppressed as foreigners in Egypt. This injunction has at least two motivating factors: First, obey because God said so, and second, obey because you
February 4, 2022
THE WORD THAT SATISFIES THE TEN WORDS Did you know that God actually spoke the Ten Commandments aloud from Mount Sinai for all the Israelites to hear? Before God wrote the Decalogue down onto stone tablets, He actually spoke them aloud from Mount Sinai for all the Israelites to hear. A literal translation of the