Exodus 21:1 “These are the laws you are to set before them….” (NIV)
For reasons I can’t explain, I really struggle with Exodus 21. Maybe it is the rankling that comes from someone telling me, essentially, that I can’t do something. Maybe it is the free use of terms like “slaves,” though commentary assures me that the concept of a slave then was quite different than my own connotations of the word. It is only when I think of this chapter in the context of my career that I can begin to make peace with it.
Exodus 21:1 “These are the regulations you must present to Israel….” (NLT)
I am a teacher. One of the first things we do each semester in the classroom is to establish rules and expectations. Once everyone knows what’s expected and what’s allowed, we can get about the business of learning. I think that is what is happening in Exodus 21. God is establishing rules and expectations so that, once they know what’s allowed and expected, they can then get about His business.
Exodus 21:1 “These are the rules that you shall set before them….” (ESV)
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this opportunity to dig deeper into Your word. Some chapters baffle me, some chapters frustrate me, some chapters sadden me, but with each new chapter, I feel like I see a bit more of You and I am deeply thankful. Draw me closer. Amen.
Exodus 21:1 “These are the ordinances that you are to set before them….” (BSB)
Have a blessed day.
The heart of God’s commands (devo reflection)
Exodus 20:18 When people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance….
Rules are important. Especially when a group is going from 400 years of slavery to freedom, rules can be crucial. But they can also be deeply abused, knowingly or otherwise. The commentary I’ve been reading through Genesis and Exodus thus far has been incredibly enlightening, especially historical background and details that I am ignorant about. But in the span of this one chapter, that commentary has treated derisively—by name—two religions and a recording artist, and that seems so grossly opposed to what God was trying to accomplish in Exodus 20.
Exodus 20:19 …and said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we shall die.”
My personal paraphrase of all God’s commands is “Love God. Love others.” I have no clue where I first heard this. It’s certainly not original to me, but it helps me keep myself on track in my walk. God wants a personal relationship with each of us, and He doesn’t employ guilt or shame to bring that deep, loving, intimate relationship about. Relationships based on guilt and shame don’t typically lead to deep, loving intimacy. God knows that. So do we.
Exodus 20:20 Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, even for this commentary, which doesn’t fulfill Your mandate to love You and love others. Rules, laws, and commandments are important, Lord, but we are human and fallible, and we often use them to wound each other instead of to draw closer to You. Help us to love, respect, and cherish You and Your people, Lord. Help us to remove the plank from our own eye before we try to remove the speck from our brother’s (Matt 7:5). Help us to keep the heart of Your commands instead of using them as weapons. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 20:21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
Have a blessed day.
Put God first…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words….
I have always been taught to put God first in my life, that I should love God before all others. As a child, I struggled with the thought that I should love God more than my parents. They brought me into this world. They fed, clothed, and guided me. How could I love God more? It was a difficult concept to wrap my head around. As an adult, I understand more fully that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights (James 1:17).
Exodus 20:2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.”
I have prayed fervently for those whom I love who were sick, prayed that God would heal them here, prayed that as much as I love them, I know that He loves them more and wants what’s best for them, prayed that He would give me the strength to carry on if He called them Home to Him for healing. That’s why God has to come first. That’s why He has to be the Alpha and the Omega in my life, the Beginning and the End (Rev 21:6). It doesn’t mean that life, death, and loss will be any easier or will make any more sense, it just means we know we can trust the One who holds us securely in the palm of His hand.
Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (NIV)
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are my beginning and my end, that You are my center, You hold me together. Thank You that having You at my core means that I can trust You explicitly, even when I am confused, even when I am afraid, even when life makes no sense. Thank You for the precious people You have placed in my life, people You love even more than I do. Draw us all closer to You. Amen.
Exodus 20:3 “Do not worship any god except Me.” (CEV)
Have a blessed day.
Grateful for this time with You…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 19:3 Then Moses went up to God, and the LORD called him from the mountain….
Lord, I know You are here. I know You have called me to read Genesis and Exodus thus far. You meet me every morning, and You show me how Your word applies to my life. I am so thankful, so grateful for this time with You.
Exodus 19:5 “Now if you obey Me fully and keep My covenant, then out if all nations you will be My treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine….
Lord, This morning, for some reason, I’m having a difficult time hearing Your voice, seeing the parallels in Your word that have been so easy and abundant before. My default is that maybe you are done with me in Exodus, but with the revelations of the past few days, it seems odd that You would end our walk through Exodus so abruptly.
Exodus 19:12 “Put limits for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful that you do not approach the mountain or touch the foot of it. Whoever touches the mountain will be put to death.’”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your loving presence as I go through Your word. Show me what you would have me to do, where You would have me to go from here. Help me to listen and obey. Draw me closer. Always. Amen.
Heb 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active….
Have a blessed day.
What’s ours to do…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 18:14 When his father-in-law saw all that Moses was doing for the people, he said, “…Why do you alone sit as judge, while all these people stand around you from morning till evening?”
Delegating is hard for me. I’ve always subscribed to the philosophy “If you want something done right, do it yourself.” But Jethro brings up a very important point in his conversation with Moses. When you take on more than your share, it leads you to burnout and robs others of the chance to join in God’s work.
Exodus 18:15 Moses answered him, “Because the people come to me to seek God’s will.
So how do we go about figuring out what’s ours to do and what belongs to someone else? Unfortunately, I have no go-to answer, but I think it begins with paying attention. If we are exhausted, worn out, that could be a sign we are taking on more than He’s calling us to. As I enjoy the time and space to breathe and relax this holiday season, I definitely need to seek His guidance about what he’s calling me to do.
Exodus 18:17 Moses’ father-in-law replied, “What you are doing is not good.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that we need to seek Your will daily so that we can do what You have set aside for us without taking someone else’s opportunity to serve. Help me to know what You call me to do and what You call me to delegate to others so that we all can take part in your kingdom work. Give us rest and peace as we partner with You and with each other. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 18:18 “You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone.”
Have a blessed day.
Just like the Israelites…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 17:3a But the people were thirsty for water there, and they grumbled against Moses….
I have seen God work through my circumstances enough that I should not doubt His presence and providence, and yet, just like the Israelites, I find myself, when dealing with a certain situation that’s been an issue for a decade or more, asking, “Is the LORD among us or not?” (Ex 17:7). Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 17:3b …They said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to make us and our children and livestock die of thirst?”
The irony is not lost on me that on the one hand I am thinking, “What is wrong with the Israelites? They have so much evidence of the LORD’s presence and provision, yet they doubt His sovereignty,” while on the other hand I have just as much evidence of His presence and provision in my own life, and I’m still whining about the fact that there is no sense of resolution for this ongoing issue in my life. Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 17:4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What am I to do with these people?….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this wake-up call that I am being just as bitter, just as stubborn, just as whiny and hard-hearted as the Israelites in my attitude. I believe that You are with me in all things, even this. Help me to lay down my anger, bitterness, defensiveness, and fear and to trust that You’ve got me, that You’ve got all of us, that You are in control, that You are making a way, even if we cannot yet perceive it. Draw me closer. Help me surrender this issue completely to You. Amen.
Exodus 17:7 And he called the place Massah and Meribah because the Israelites quarreled and because they tested the LORD saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?”
Have a blessed day.
A precious baby who would save the world…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 16:4 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you….”
Commentary on this verse “…reminds us that God may provide from resources we never knew existed. Sometimes He provides from familiar resources, sometimes from unexpected resources.” This idea puts me in mind of Isaiah 43:19 “See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way….”
Exodus 16:14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor.
How often do I try to limit God to resources I know, solutions I understand? Thankfully, His thoughts are nothing like my thoughts, and His ways are far beyond anything I could imagine (Isaiah 55:8), like when He sent His son as a newborn baby in order to save the world. So I try to cling to Isaiah 43:19 and trust His promise and provision, even when I don’t understand, even when I cannot see a way forward. He’s making a way, in His time, with His resources.
Exodus 16:15a When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are in control and You are making a way. Thank You for not limiting Yourself to solutions and resources that I understand. Thank You for the birth of Your Son, a precious baby who would save the world. Draw us all closer. Amen.
Exodus 16:15b …Then Moses said to them, “It is the bread the LORD has given you to eat.”
Have a blessed day.
The great I Am…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 16:11-12a Then the LORD said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites….”
When I read these verses, all I can think is “Praise God for His love and patience.” As a fallible human, I can say that the Israelites are plucking my last nerve. They are whiny and ungrateful. I would be sorely tempted to smite them just to teach them a lesson. Maybe then they would be more grateful.
Exodus 16:12b “…Tell them ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God’.”
Thankfully, God does not react that way. His goal is not to teach them not to question or mess with Him. He wants them to understand who He is, the great I Am. He wants them to learn that He fulfills His promises, even though it may look nothing like they hoped or planned. He wants them to understand that He is sovereign and loving, making a way, even if they cannot yet perceive it.
Exodus 16:19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the fact that Your thoughts are not our thoughts and Your ways are beyond anything we can imagine (Isaiah 55:8). Thank You for responding to the Israelites from a place of love and not retribution. Thank You for loving us so fiercely and so deeply, even when we fight Your loving provision. Break down our defenses. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 16:20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell….
Have a blessed day.
Removing the barriers…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 16:2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron.
I am a planner, primarily, I think, because I don’t want to feel inconvenienced. I plan out and secure what I think I’ll need so that the yawning ache of want will not touch me. When I do feel the sting of want, I react much the same as the Israelites, whining and complaining. And while this tendency may have gotten a smidge better as I’ve aged, I am truly ashamed to say it is something with which I still struggle mightily at times.
Exodus 16:3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into the desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
I suppose that’s one of the reasons today’s verses strike me so. Moses rightfully calls the Israelites on their grumbling and points out the important fact that it is actually the LORD that they are grumbling against. If I trust that the LORD will provide my needs—and I do—them when I grumble about being in want, He is the One I’m grumbling against. But that I not my intent. Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 16:7a “…in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, because He has heard your grumbling against Him….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, this revelation. It stings to see that I am behaving in this manner, but Your intention is not to shame me but to remove the barriers separating us so that You can draw me closer. Thank You for pointing out this tendency. Help me to correct it so that I can draw closer to You. Amen.
Exodus 16:7b “…Who are we, that you should grumble against us?”
Have a blessed day.
When troubles come…. (devo reflection)
Exodus 15:22 Then Moses led the people away from the Red Sea…. They traveled in this desert for three days without finding any water.
My default is to sit in judgement of the Israelites. The echoes of their songs of joy and thanksgiving haven’t even fully faded yet, and they are already whining and complaining again. But in my heart, I know I have more in common with the fickle Israelites than I would like to admit. I, too, am guilty of whining and complaining when the going gets rough. I, too, am guilty of not remembering God’s provisions when things get tough. Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 15:23 When they came to the oasis of Marah, the water was too bitter to drink….
James 1:2 reminds me to count it all joy, whenever I face trials of any kind. I know firsthand that it is during trials and troubles that I can feel God’s presence most clearly. Those are the times I feel Him drawing me closer. But just like the Israelites, I’m so quick to whine and complain when those trials come. Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 15:24 Then the people complained and turned against Moses. “What are we going to drink?” they demanded.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder not to judge and not to whine and complain when troubles come. Thank You for using the difficult times to strengthen my faith and draw me closer to You. Be my strength, my shield, and my very great reward. Amen.
Exodus 15:25 So Moses cried out to the LORD for help….
Have a blessed day.