Today’s Reading: Exodus
God spoke into Job’s situation, and he was humbled. God was paying attention. He was never unaware of the suffering Job was going through. This generous God is the same God we serve today. He is present, He is aware, and He is paying attention. We see evidence of this in the history of God’s people as we review the book of Exodus, which we studied in depth in February.
Life in Egypt was bitter for the Israelites as they were made to work hard for Pharaoh, without mercy and under the pressure of ruthless demands. The more Pharaoh oppressed God’s people, the more the Israelites multiplied and spread. So Pharaoh gave an order to the Hebrew midwives to kill every newborn boy, only letting the baby girls live. But the Hebrew midwives feared God and refused to carry out the King’s orders, making excuses for why the baby boys were surviving. So Pharaoh ordered all the Egyptians to kill every newborn Hebrew boy (1:22). God heard the cries of His people and raised up a leader from among those targeted baby boys to rescue his people — his name was Moses.
BUT GOD IS NEVER CAUGHT UNAWARE. HE IS NEVER WITHOUT A PLAN.
Time and time again in history, we see evidence of God’s response to the oppression of a group of people. He raises up a leader or a team of people to stand up in opposition to injustice — racism, sexism, discrimination, hatred, abortion and more. God is not uninvolved, nor is He unaware. He does not wring His hands in uncertainty or turn His back. He empowers and equips His people, calling them to rescue and restore.
The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time. – Psalm 34:19
From a burning bush, God called Moses to go to Pharaoh and command him to let God’s people go. Feeling as unqualified and unequipped as we would have, Moses struggled to accept the calling the Lord was placing on his life. Together with his brother, Aaron, Moses obediently did the hard thing God had called him to do.
GOD EQUIPPED MOSES WITH A STAFF AND TEN PLAGUES.
The Israelites became the audience to God’s grand display of judgment. During all of these plagues (blood, frogs, gnats, flies, death of livestock, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and then the death of the firstborn children), God’s people were protected. The Israelites were given specific instructions to follow so that the angel of death would pass over their house, sparing their firstborn. God’s people had experienced His power firsthand and now had a story to pass on to their children and grandchildren — from one generation to the next for the remainder of time.
When Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go, God did not lead them along the main road. He did not take them down the shortest path to their destination. He took them in a roundabout way. The Lord went ahead of them, guiding them during the day with a pillar of cloud and at night with a pillar of fire. At one point He even told them to doubleback and camp along the shore, and they obeyed.
Then God revealed to Moses what was about to happen, preparing him for a moment in leadership that was going to be tough. He was going to harden Pharaoh’s heart once again and an Egyptian army would soon be in pursuit of them. When the people looked up and saw the massive army approaching, they panicked and asked God — Why? Why did you lead us here? Our old life of slavery was better than this.
The pillar of cloud that had been leading them this whole time moved from the front and formed a wall behind them. The clouds settled between God’s people and their enemies. As night fell, the cloud changed to fire, casting its light upon the situation. The enemy stood still while God sent a strong east wind to blow across the sea bed, creating a dry path for His children to walk across. The people stood still and watched as God fought their battle. What a beautiful sight!
IT DIDN’T HAPPEN IN AN INSTANT BUT IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT.
Tell me again why we don’t trust God? Why do we doubt a God who can do ANYTHING? When the Red Sea is in front of you and the Egyptian army is behind you, you can trust God to form a wall of protection between you and the danger pressing in. You can trust Him to part the waters and provide dry land, as He unleashes His mighty power. Stand in awe of the God who can do ANYTHING.
As we study Exodus, we see God teaching the people who He is and what it should look like for them to have a covenant relationship with Him. What first appears to be a list of instructions or rules (10 Commandments) is actually God teaching His children about who He is — about His character and holiness.
The first four commandments help us understand our Holy God and why He must have our undivided attention. He is the Lord our God and nothing should be more important than Him. We are to treat His name as holy and dedicate the Sabbath to Him. Our covenant relationship with Him requires that we give Him first place in our lives — that we love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.
The next six commandments are about how we are to treat one another: Honor your parents, do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not testify falsely against your neighbor and do not covet what your neighbor has.
But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. – Exodus 20:6
Lord, it is such a joy and privilege to be in a covenant relationship with you. I long to understand you, and to be filled with your holiness so that I can love you by loving others. I want to trust you, even in the most difficult of situations. Help me to live out my faith daily through my actions. May my response to your holy character show in my ability to love others the way you love me. God, only you are capable of producing this kind of love in my heart. Fill me with who you are; lavish me with your unfailing love. Amen.