God Provides Again

Exodus 16

 Have you ever been surprised when you received something that you did not expect? I am talking about when it is not Christmas and it is not your birthday and you received a gift. Those unexpected gifts are pretty cool. Here we are going to read about how God takes care of Israel again. They received an unexpected gift and they definitely did not deserve it.

Another complaint

Israel traveled to another location and all of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. They were complaining about not having any food. They were saying that they had it better in Egypt. How sad, they complained when they were in Egypt because they were slaves and now that they are delivered and they are complaining about the lack of food. Even though it says they complained against Moses and Aaron but they truly were complaining about God. Instead of God raining fire down from heaven he sends bread down from heaven. He feeds these complaining people. It is good that I am not God, my patient would have ended in the beginning of Egypt. God will send bread down everyday, it will be enough for everyone to have their own. On the sixth day God will send double so they can have enough to honor the Sabbath.

 God appeared to Israel for this miracle in a cloud. In verse 11 we can read that God’s glory appeared in the cloud. I do not know exactly what this meant other than this cloud portrayed who God is. This cloud was different from just an ordinary cloud in the sky. It was the glory of the Lord that the people of Israel would be able to see.

God’s Provision

God provided quail for them to eat as well as special heaven bread that was sweet to eat, which was called manna. They were commanded not to store more than they needed but Israel did not listen. Any of the bread that was left over would then get old over night and worms would come from it and it would stink really bad. God commanded them not to gather any on the Sabbath because they were commanded to rest but they did not listen and they found no bread.  This is what the people of Israel ate for 40 years. 

God provides for us today too. He may not have manna from heaven fall down for us every morning, but he takes care of us. In Matthew 6:25-34 we see that God provides for his children. We will not have to worry about what we eat, where we sleep, or what we wear. God takes care of that stuff for us. We can be just like the Israelites in the wilderness and complain. We may worry about what tomorrow holds for us and we can be anxious about the simple things in life. God provided for Israel again and God provides for us over and over again. We can take it for granted. I encourage you to just stop and thank God for his daily provision for you and your family. You have what you need to live, now seek first the kingdom of God.

God is my Song

Exodus 15

Have you ever been so happy, excited, and filled with joy that you actually sang about it. I can remember a couple of times that I have been so happy or relieved that I just shouted. Here we see Moses who sang a song to God because of how great He is. In Exodus 14 we read how God not only allowed the Israelites to cross on dry ground but also the Red Sea fell on the chasing Egyptians. God was in control through the whole ordeal and he is also in control in our lives.

God is My Salvation and My Song

In this song we see that God is glorious because he is Moses’ strength and his song and he has become his salvation (2). Why do we sing to God? I don’t know why you may sing to God when the worship song is playing, but I know for me that God is my salvation. What a great reason to sing to God. Jesus died on the cross so I can have salvation. He is my salvation and he is my song that I sing. I should not sing of myself or what others have done but God is my song. God has delivered me from my enemies. I may not have a hot pursuit on my heels but God has delivered me from my enemy, sin. God is victorious over Satan. As even Miriam (Moses’ sister) went out with a tambourine and danced and said, “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea (vs 21).” In this section I hope you noticed that there is no praise given to men. It was all God who delivered the people. It was not some human warrior but it was God and God alone.

Bitter Water

Here we see the first complaint of Israel. It is funny that they just praise the Lord and three days later they are complaining. They have traveled for three days and have found no water, then they come to a place where there was water but they could not drink it because it was bad.  The water was bitter and that could have been because most wells were bitter from the minerals from the rocks around it. Some scholars say that since the area was called Marah which is a form of Myrrh that is had a myrrh flavor. Either way the Israelites complained to Moses saying, “What shall we drink?” Instead of asking the Lord to show them because he is glorious and they just sang a song about that but they complained.

God’s Rule

God told Moses to throw a log into the water and it became sweet and was able to drink it. He also gave  Israel somewhat of a guideline which Israel needed to follow through the journey. Moses told them to listen to the voice of the Lord your God and do that which is right in his eyes and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statues, I will put none of the disease on you that I put on the Egyptians for I am the Lord, your healer (27). He was kind of reminding them, that He knows best and don’t forget I controlled all the plagues that happened to the Egyptians. This was not just a warning but also a chance for Israel to be obedient. We will see that they do not listen to what God asked and they make the trip longer and harder.

God has given us his law to abide by and that is his Word. We may not have to have the plagues come upon us but we are obedient to God to show our love for him. I pray that we can have the desire to not see how close we can come to sin without sinning but that we can have the heart not to sin. 

God Leads

Exodus 13

When you are lost are maybe do not know where to go it is always nice when there are signs up so you can find your way. I am really impressed with the GPS navigations for cars. When I use it I find myself completely dependent upon it to tell me where to go. I even find myself responding to the computer voice as if we were having a conversation (how sad). If you take a wrong turn or make a stop along the way, the navigation can recalculate your destination for you. In todays chapter we will see that God leads his people with his own form of navigation, a pillar of cloud and of fire. If you know the story the people wonder around for 40 years in the wilderness because of their stubbornness. God just recalculated his directions for them and was there every step of the way. 

Feast of Unleavened Bread 

We have seen God’s mighty hand in the deliverance of his people. Egypt wanted the Hebrews out and now they are leaving. The last post was a little about the feast of the unleavened bread. This feast was now instituted for the future generations.  For more information refer back to yesterday’s post, the 4th of April. 

Pillar of Cloud and Fire

God did not lead the people the way of the land because the Philistines inhabited the land. God did not want them to be afraid of war and run back to Egypt. The Lord led the people by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. How cool would that be to say, “I don’t know where I am going but I am following God”? Someone probably would ask, “How do you know where God is leading you?” You could say, “Oh, he is leading with that pillar of cloud or fire that everyone could see.” God was showing himself to Israel again and again. It says that it was so they could travel by day and by night. Have you ever been on a road trip? How about with close to 2 million people? Do you know how long it would take to travel with 2 million people? It would take a long time, they also had their flocks with them. Animals tend to slow travelers down during this time. God made it so that they people could travel anytime. It also says in the last verse of chapter 13 that the pillar did not depart from the people. God did not leave the people to their own directions.

God wants us to follow after him. His way is safer, even though it is the road less traveled. He did not have the people go the way that the world was but in the wilderness. In this wilderness there will be great testing as well as God’s hand on a stubborn and rebellious people. We may not have a pillar of fire or a cloud to lead us every day to where God wants us to go but instead we have something even better, his word to us. God has given us the Bible for us so we can follow it and it will lead us in this life. The Bible will teach us and correct us and guide us (2nd Timothy 3:16-17). We like to trust other people, T.V. shows and even cartoon shows before we follow the Bible. How valuable is the Bible to you? When you follow the Bible God will direct your path and you will not regret it. It may be hard but it is worth it.

The Passover

Exodus 12

This chapter is a very significant chapter to not only the Jew but also to the Christian. We see God’s hand in directing the exodus for His people. Moses warned the Egyptians but now the instruction came to the Jews to follow this every year for the rest of their lives, the Passover. This was the beginning of months for Israel because now they were going to be free from the bondage of Egypt. The month that this first month for Israel was called Abib and was later changed to Nisan, it is equal to our month April. It is fitting that we are reading about this since we are in the month of April.

The Passover

The passover consists of different things. The family was to take a lamb that was without blemish and prepare it by roasting it over a fire. The lamb was the animal that was going to provide redemption for the people and the firstborn. The blood of the lamb needed to be placed on the doorpost of the entrance of the house. This was not only the place of entrance in a home but also symbolized security. They will eat the flesh of the lamb that evening with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. They were to eat the meal with shoes on and dressed ready to leave, which we will see that Pharaoh wants them gone. 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread (14-20) 

This feast is associated with the Passover because they were commanded to not eat leavened bread on Passover. The beginning of the Passover they were commanded to get rid of all the leaven in the household. Leaven or yeast is a symbol of sin (Lev. 2:11 and 1st Corinthians 5:7-8). This feast is carried on through the rest of the week. As this was a sign of being clean the Israelites were to take this seriously because if they did not they would be cut off or lose their right and privileges of an Israelite.  

Death of the firstborn

We see that the last plague happens in Egypt and there is a great cry among the people. The Bible tells us that there was death of the firstborn from the throne of Pharaoh to even those that were in prison and even the death of the firstborn of the livestock. Every household in Egypt had death in it that evening. It took Pharaoh losing his first son for his heart to break and he calls Moses and Aaron in the middle of the night and just tells them to leave. They need to take everything with them, their flocks, their children and just go. It is interesting that they people of Egypt gave the Hebrews dough without leaven on their journey and also the Hebrews asked for gold, silver, and clothing and the Egyptians gave it willingly. In verse 36 the Bible says, “They plundered them.” If you go back to Exodus 3:22 where God is talking with Moses and God tells Moses that the Hebrews will plunder the Egyptians. God told Moses that this would happen. 430 years of slavery ended and there were more than 600,000 Hebrews leaving Egypt. Most scholars will say that it was closer to 2 million men, women, and children that Moses  would lead out of Egypt.As Christians we can read this and just think of how great that the Hebrews finally get to leave and God is awesome but we can overlook that the Passover was just a sign to show of what the future held for us. The Passover points to Christ who was the lamb and his blood was spread for our redemption from God’s wrath (Romans 5:8-9). It was a great price that Jesus paid on the cross for us and God’s wrath would be passed over those that believe.   

The Threat of the Final Plague

Exodus 11

We have seen 9 different plagues hit the Egyptians. They have had their land ruined and people have died. Some of the plagues were announced in a warning and some happened without a warning. In all the different plagues Pharaoh could have let the Hebrews free but his heart was hardened. In this chapter we see the announcement of the final plague, the death of the first born. This was going to affect anyone who had a firstborn son, whether it was Pharaoh or if it was a slave girl.

God is specific

In verse 4 God tells Moses even at what time this plague will happen and that is at midnight. God specifically told Moses to tell the people listening at what time this would happen at because they would have a chance to not only think about it but take action in believing in the Lord. He was not going to surprise Pharaoh, he had plenty of warning, but Pharaoh did not want to listen. Also this plague was going to be worse than any of the ones before it. In verse 6 it says that a great cry would be throughout the land and there would be great sorrow. This plague did not only affect people but also cattle. If someone did not have a firstborn son, they might have a firstborn animal and that animal would die.

Moses has gained respect

In this passage we see that not only the people of Israel are giving their attention and respect to Moses but also the servants of Pharaoh. These people who worshiped false gods are seeing the truth that the God of Moses is real and the only God. They are actually listening to his warnings which means God is showing himself to these people. The sad thing is, Pharaoh’s heart is still hard, he views this final plague as a threat and does not listen. He had his warning but he did not take it and now their will be great heartache in the land.  It is interesting how people can change. The servants of Pharaoh looked at Moses as if he was crazy and nothing more than that, but now they realize they were wrong. Moses did not compromise on his character. He stayed faithful to the task that God had him to do. We are given a task as well, that is to be an example, a salt, and a light to this world (Matthew 5:13-16). It is easy for us to compromise that by not standing for who God is and the things of God. We can become quiet and not wanting to rock the boat. We can want to just fit in. When we make a stand people do say stuff and do mock a little. Look at any world leader, someone will always complain about them. We can not fear people complaining or making fun of us for standing for the Lord. You never know they may turn to believe in what you are making a stand for.

Livestock, Boils, and Hail

Exodus 9

Pharaoh’s heart is still hard and he is a stubborn man. He tried to make a compromise but it was still not what God wanted. The plagues are continuing and we are going to read about the fifth, sixth, and seventh plague today.

Livestock dead

Moses was told by God to give Pharaoh the warning that if he did not let all the Hebrews free then all the livestock in Egypt would die. The only livestock that would be safe would be the Hebrews livestock in the land of Goshen. Pharaoh did not take the warning and behold the next day all the livestock of the Egyptians died. Could you imagine as Egypt was a populated place and all the livestock that the land had just died? You are in the field and by the end of the day all those in the field are dead. This plague had great consequences on the economic strain of the country. Cattle was considered wealth in the land of Egypt and that was also food for people. Both loss of wealth and food are coming on to the land of Egypt. First there was the stench in the land from the blood and frogs, then the annoying gnats and flies to irritate the people and now they were really going to feel the hurt as their food source is dying off. 

Boils

This is the first plague that is dealing with the physical aspect of people. The previous ones were on the land and animals but now this is direct on people. Moses and Aaron again went before Pharaoh and asked the same request but Pharaoh would not listen. Therefore boils were upon man and beast. These sores were big blisters which were irritating and painful. This section is the first mention of even the magicians being affected by this and they could not even stand before Pharaoh.

Hail

This seventh plague came about like the previous ones. Moses stands before Pharaoh and gives the request the same as before and Pharaoh still has a hard heart. In all the plagues, Moses gave the warning to Pharaoh to let the people go or this will happen but Pharaoh does not listen. This plague came with more of a warning. Bring in your cattle and your slaves from outside because the hail that is going to fall is going to be massive and they will die for sure.  Those that feared God listened and those who did not fear God did not listen. The result was mass hail and animal’s and people dead. Anything that was in the fields was cut down. Trees were destroyed by the hail and fire. Pharaoh’s reaction was almost like a glimpse of this could all be over right now. He said, “I have sinned, God is right and I am wrong.” It seems like Pharaoh finally gets it. There is a but in his statement. As soon as the hail and fire stopped Pharaoh went back to having a hard heart. 

This reminds me of when you get caught doing something that you should not and you say sorry but as soon as you get another opportunity to do that bad thing again you will. This was like Pharaoh. He did not have a true repentant heart. He did not truly fear the Lord. He was miserable but as soon as their was relief he did not care. How are you like Pharaoh when it comes to sin? Are you sorry when you are caught in the act or do you desire not to do that anymore? Do you desire to please the Lord? I know God disciplines those he loves (Rev 3:19). God disciplines us so we can stop in our tracks. Pharaoh’s heart was hard and it took a lot of things to get his attention.