Author: Beth Duncan

Exodus 12:28 The Israelites did just what the LORD commanded Moses and Aaron.
Twice in this chapter, here and in Exodus 12:50, we see the Israelites acting in obedience. They were not forced into obedience, just as we are not. They are not automatons with no capacity for individual thought and decision. Just like us, the Israelites had free will. They could choose to obey or not. And their obedience here led them toward freedom after 430 years in captivity.
Exodus 12:31 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.”
Even Pharaoh, who hardened his own heart so many times. Whose decision for a hardened heart was reinforced many times through God so that ultimately, God would be recognized and glorified, even Pharaoh finally obeys God’s direction, allowing, urging, exhorting the Israelites to “Leave my people!” 
Exodus 12:50 All the Israelites did just what the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the ability to choose You. I cannot imagine the anguish we cause You when we wallow in bad choices. It must break Your heart to know that one right choice would bring us straight to Your heart. But You understand that forced obedience is not obedience and that it has to be our choice for it to be meaningful. Help us, Lord, to seek You, to choose You, daily. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 12:51 And on that very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of Egypt….
Have a blessed day.

Exodus 11:1a Now the LORD said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt….”
I have a dear friend who is a gifted artist. She recently shared a series of pictures of her latest commission in process. Just like with speed videos she’s shared in the past, I was fascinated to see the progression from the chaos of the background with light sketching in pencil to the beauty of the finished piece. Seeing the final pieces of God’s plan for the Israelites begin to come together in Exodus 11 reminds me of watching the gifted strokes of an artist. 
Exodus 11:1b “…After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.”
God has a vision before the first brushstrokes hit the page. Where the uninformed see chaos, God’s building a firm base for what is to come. He didn’t just want Pharaoh to allow His people out for brief worship. He wanted them freed. He didn’t want His people destitute after years of forced labor. He wanted them compensated. He didn’t just want the Egyptians to let them go. He wanted the Egyptians to recognize His sovereignty. God, the Master, has this under control.
Exodus 11:2 “Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your master plan. Thank You that You can see the final picture before You even lift the brush, that You can bring beauty and order from chaos and turmoil. Thank You that we are Your works in progress, masterpieces all, and that what seems like a mess from here is really just part of the firm base You are building for our good and Your glory. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 11:3 (The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)
Have a blessed day.

Exodus 9:12 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
The wording of Exodus 9:12 is troubling to me. As I was reading commentary, I paid close attention to why God would harden Pharaoh’s heart, what He was hoping to gain. The best answer I could gather was that already six times before, Pharaoh hardens his own heart and that here, God is just reinforcing the path Pharaoh has already chosen. And I think Exodus 9:16 gives us the answer to why that would be a desired course of action for God.
Exodus 9:15 For by now I [the LORD] could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.
Ultimately, God wants us to choose Him. He wants us to recognize His love, mercy, power, sovereignty. He wants us to realize that we are His deeply loved children. He gives us life, and He gives us an invitation to choose Him, to fellowship with Him, to have a deep and abiding relationship with Him. But He will never force us. He lets us choose. 
Exodus 9:16 But I have spared you for this very purpose, that I might show you My power and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the opportunity to choose You and to shine Your light. Thank You for Your deep love of Your children and for not giving up on us, no matter how stubborn we are. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 9:34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: he and his officials hardened their hearts.
Have a blessed day.

Exodus 8:8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD.”
As I first read through Exodus 8 this morning, I thought how similar my attitude sometimes is to Pharaoh, bargaining that if whatever is plaguing me would only stop, I would live as God wanted. And while there was certainly some of that in my relationship with my Savior when I was younger, I realized with clarity that that is absolutely no longer the case. At this point in my life, I strive in all things to grow closer to God. I’m not always as successful as I’d like, but that goal is always present.
Exodus 8:15 But when Pharaoh saw there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.
My church did a series of weekly devotions during November. Many if them urged us to pay attention to certain details of our walk with Christ, not judging, just noticing. I’ve noticed through that experience and through my walk through Genesis and Exodus thus far that I’m still trying to take the reigns, to maintain control. That propensity still leads me to anger, fear, and bitterness. Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 8:19b …But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that I have grown in my walk with you, that I am not the same person I once was. Thank You for seeing my heart, for understanding my motivation—a deep desire to grow closer to You. Help me to give You my propensity for trying to take control. Help me to give up anger, fear, and bitterness, so that I can wrap myself fully in Your peace. Draw me closer. Amen.
Exodus 8:32 But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.
Have a blessed day.

Exodus 7:6 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded them.
I am struck in this chapter by Moses’s obedience. After all of his excuses in chapter 6, repeatedly in chapter 7, he and Aaron do as the LORD commanded. 
Exodus 7:7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke with Pharaoh.
Lord, Thank You for the love and mercy You show repeatedly to Your people. I am seeing, again and again, that You can, will, and do use the most unlikely (and sometimes unwilling) characters. I know You, Lord. I love You. Help me to cling to You. Use me in Your kingdom work.
Exodus 7:10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your continued pursuit of Your loved ones, for Your ability to redeem and use even the deeply flawed. I know my flaws, Lord. And I know You are greater. Help me, Lord. Draw me closer. Amen.
Exodus 7:20 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded….
Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 6:1a Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh….”
At this point in the semester, I am mentally, physically, and emotionally exhausted, and that exhaustion weighs heavily. It’s cyclic. I can pretty much count on being tapped out at this point each year. By now it seems like I would be able to lift my eyes from the overwhelming exhaustion and focus them on my precious Savior, but just like Moses, my gaze seems stuck on my stressors and obstacles instead of my mighty God.
Exodus 6:1b “…Because of my mighty hand he will let them go….”
I always try to find the message God has for me in scripture, and I truly think He is calling me yet again to focus on Him, trust Him, keep my eyes on Him. And classic Beth, classic Moses, instead of seeing my error and correcting it (Sorry, God. I’m focusing on my problems instead of You. Thank You for the refocus), I’m still stuck in this cycle of “I can’t. I’m not strong enough. The obstacles are too formidable.” Jesus, Help me break this cycle.
Exodus 6:1c “…because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, this scripture, this refocus. You are bigger than any struggle, stronger than any challenge. You have already won the war for my soul, and I know that because of You, I am more than a conqueror. Forgive me for failing to claim my victorious life in You. Help me to shift my focus from my exhaustion to my precious Savior. You are enough. Your power is sufficient. You’ve got me. Draw me closer. Amen.
Exodus 6:29 …He said to him, “I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.”
Have a blessed day.

Exodus 5:1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let My people go…’”
It is surprising sometimes how I see myself, my attitudes, reflected through people and stories in the Bible. Today, I feel very much like Moses in Midian. I feel like I am called to struggle (with negative attitudes of others, with decisions that directly affect me over which I have no say or control, with unmanageable workloads, with my own emotional baggage) every single day, and I am tired. I feel like I’m a mixture of the Moses of Exodus 4–Send someone else. I don’t want to—and Exodus 5–Seriously, God, I’m knocking myself out for You and getting nowhere fast. What gives? (Welcome to my pity party.)
Exodus 5:2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey Him and let Israel go?”
I know that what God is calling me to isn’t anything close to what Moses and the Israelites endured. I know that I am just mentally and physically exhausted (‘tis the season). I know that God is in control and that in order for any of us to grow and mature, we have to be uncomfortable. I know that this, too, shall pass. It gives me hope to know that many faithful people have struggled.
Exodus 5:22 Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Why, LORD, why have You brought trouble on this people?…”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are in control, even when my emotions try to tell me otherwise. Thank You for being big enough that I can be real with You about my emotions and struggles. Thank You for showing me that You can and do use flawed people (just like me) in Your Kingdom work. Thank You for seeing my struggle and for giving me hope. Thank You for loving me enough not to leave me in my comfort zone or my pity party. Draw me closer. Amen.
Exodus 5:23 “Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and You have not rescued Your people at all.”
Have a blessed day.

Exodus 4:1 Moses answered, “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The LORD did not appear to you’?”
I’ve often joked that God needs to send me signs in flashing neon so I don’t miss His will for my life. The burning bush he used to get Moses’s attention seems to be the ancient equivalent to flashing neon. So it is interesting to me that Moses sees this burning bush, knows it’s God speaking to him, but makes excuses anyway. Would I (Will I? Do I?) react the same way when God calls on me? Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 4:10 Moses said to the LORD, “Pardon Your servant, LORD. I have never been eloquent…. I am slow of speech and tongue.”
Moses has some valid concerns: What if they don’t believe me? What about my ineloquent speech? God answers them all. But Moses ultimately just doesn’t want to do it. It is a matter of pride? “I tried this before and failed utterly.”? Is it a matter of time? “It’s been 40 years with just me and the sheep. I don’t think I can.”? God answered every fear. Is it that Moses allowed his fear to overshadow his God? Jesus, Help me.
Exodus 4:13 But Moses said, “Pardon Your servant, LORD. Please send someone else.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that what You call me to do, You will see me through. Fear is a natural part of life, but allowing my fear to be bigger than my trust in You—in Your sovereignty, Your ability, Your grace, mercy, and love—is not ok. Help me to lay my burdens, worries, and fears at Your feet and to trust where You lead me. Draw me closer. Amen.
Exodus 4:14 Then the LORD’s anger burned against Moses and he said, “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? ….”
Have a blessed day.

Exodus 3:1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law….
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Moses, who was raised as Egyptian royalty, who had confidence in his ability to save “his own people,” who wasn’t accepted by his birth culture nor his adoptive culture, has spent the last 40 years tending someone else’s sheep in the dessert. Any cocky, self-assuredness is long gone. And now God calls to him.
Exodus 3:4 …God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”
But here is what I’ve noticed about our precious Savior: He has to bring us to the end of ourselves so that we realize we cannot do His will in our own power. We are not strong enough on our own for the tasks He calls us to, but in partnership with Him, we absolutely are. His strength is perfected in our weakness. Thank You, Jesus.
Exodus 3:10 “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You have called us and equipped us, but You want us to act always through Your strength and not our own. Help us to find that precious middle ground where we recognize that we can’t do it in our own strength, but we can absolutely do it in partnership with You. Draw us closer. Amen.
Exodus 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”
Have a blessed day.