Category: Exodus

Exodus 21:5 “But if the servant declares, ‘I love my master and my wife and children and do not want to go free,’ 

Commentary has just said of the previous verses that if a slave comes in by himself and gets married and has children while in servitude (meaning the master provided the wife), he cannot take his wife and children with him. They belong to the master. Then, of verse 5, commentary says that such a declaration as “I love my master” would be made “in light of the master’s goodness and his blessings for the servant.”

Exodus 21:6 then his master must take him before the judges. He shall take him to the door or the doorpost and pierce his ear with an awl. Then he will be his servant for life.

How does that even make sense? Verse 5 goes on to say “I love my master and my wife and children…” (emphasis mine). That doesn’t sound like he’s caught up in the goodness and blessings of the master. It sounds like he doesn’t want to lose his wife and children and his only option, since they are considered the master’s property, is for him to stay. 

Exodus 21:7 “If a man sells his daughter as a servant, she is not to go free as male servants do. 

Precious Savior, These verses infuriate me. The commentary infuriates me. That women, for so long, were only seen as property, infuriates me. That even to this day, women and people of color and immigrants are not seen as people in the same way that white men are infuriates me. And the anger feels so impotent. Help me to know what to do with that anger so that I can love like You love. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 21:8 If she does not please the master who has selected her for himself, he must let her be redeemed. He has no right to sell her to foreigners, because he has broken faith with her.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 20:22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites this: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have spoken to you from heaven: 

Yesterday I wrote about intermediaries. Today’s focus is on interpretation, “the action of explaining the meaning of something” (Google Dictionary). Intermediaries of God’s word are in the business of offering their interpretations of said word. That’s the gig.  

Exodus 20:23 Do not make any gods to be alongside me; do not make for yourselves gods of silver or gods of gold.

And while I suppose it’s possible that an intermediary’s goal with Biblical interpretation would be solely making money, it seems unlikely that that would be the truth for most intermediaries. I think, I hope, most intermediaries are like me–earnestly sitting with God’s word, trying to figure out what He is calling us to do. 

Exodus 20:24 “ ‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. 

Precious Savior, I have found every different life stage I am in when I read and study Your word influences my interpretation of what You are trying to say. I imagine that must be true for all who read and study and write about Your word. Help me, as I sit and study, to draw closer to You. Help me to shine Your light for all to see. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 20:25-26 If you make an altar of stones for me, do not build it with dressed stones, for you will defile it if you use a tool on it. And do not go up to my altar on steps, or your private parts may be exposed.’

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 20:18 When the 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 

Today’s reading has me thinking about intermediaries – those who stand in the middle and act as a bridge from one person to another. Biblical intermediaries include religious persons, devotional writers, even translators of the Word. If you are reading this, I am currently acting as an intermediary for you as I am giving my thoughts on His Word.

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 will die.”

For me, it’s important to hear what others have to say about God and His word, what they think it means, their interpretations, and ideas. However, for me, it’s important that I spend time in His word, too, so that I can test other’s ideas against my own, against my idea of who God is, who Jesus is, what they mean and stand for, how They love me and others, what They are calling me to do in this life. 

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.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that I can’t just rely on intermediaries when it comes to my relationship with You. I need to spend time with You, spend time in Your Word, read and write,  study and ponder. That is the only way that I can draw closer to You. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 20:21 The people remained at a distance, while Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 20:7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

Reading commentary on scripture can be interesting. There is often a certain backhandedness when commentary talks about the way some religions interpret scripture. It isn’t difficult to ascertain that this commentary has a certain slant, a certain belief system that is definitely at play.

Exodus 20:8-9 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 

And that’s really difficult for me because I don’t think God works that way. He’s not elitist. He doesn’t play favorites. He’s not secretly laughing at folks who are trying their best to honor Him, nor is He busy constructing obstacles to keep out those who are not yet ready for relationship with Him. I feel like that is incredibly important to remember. 

Exodus 20:10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 

Precious Savior, When I start to put up barriers or think I’m better than others because of how I worship You, help me to realize what I am doing, to kneel at Your feet, to refocus on You. You are the God of all creation, and I am Your deeply loved child, but You are not exclusionary. Help me to show Your love to all. Help me to be more like You. Amen.

Exodus 20:11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 19:22 Even the priests, who approach the Lord, must consecrate themselves, or the Lord will break out against them.”

As I read today’s verses, I am struck by how vastly different the Old Covenant is from the New Covenant, how incredibly different interaction with God in the Old Testament is from interaction with Jesus in the New. 

Exodus 19:23 Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up Mount Sinai, because you yourself warned us, ‘Put limits around the mountain and set it apart as holy.’ ”

With the birth of Jesus, everything changes. The old ways are gone, the distance, the separation. Jesus–Immanuel, God with us–walked among us. He was here on this earth. He interacted with the religious and the destitute, the healthy and the lame. Truly, it’s mind-blowing.

Exodus 19:24 The Lord replied, “Go down and bring Aaron up with you. But the priests and the people must not force their way through to come up to the Lord, or he will break out against them.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for a glimpse into the relationship of You and Your Father. Thank You that You removed the distance between us and Him. Help me to sit at Your feet each morning, to draw closer to You each day, and through You, draw closer to the Father. Amen.

Exodus 19:25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 19:14 After Moses had gone down the mountain to the people, he consecrated them, and they washed their clothes. 

Today’s got me thinking about donning our “Sunday best” for the Lord. There is nothing inherently wrong with dressing up on Sunday to go to church. It is an expectation in many churches and an expectation I grew up with myself.  

Exodus 19:15 Then he said to the people, “Prepare yourselves for the third day. Abstain from sexual relations.”

I think the problem comes when I am dressing up to impress others or to flaunt my wealth or status or fashion sense or when I judge others based on how well (or not) they are dressed. Also, if I lose the belief that God will see me and love me exactly as I am regardless of what outfit I’ve picked out, I’m in trouble. I’ve moved from “trying to please God” to “the trappings of this world.” 

Exodus 19:16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. 

Precious Savior, In this world, we often get caught up in the trappings, the appearances. Thank You that You see all of us. Help us to approach You, always, with a humble and contrite heart. Help us to see others as You see them, not just because of what they wear. Help us to be more like You. Amen.

Exodus 19:17 Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 19:9 The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the Lord what the people had said.

Commentary says of this section that humans need boundaries and that even those who didn’t want to submit to those boundaries “were to submit their feelings to obedience.” It made me think of a lesson I learned way later than was probably proper: God is bigger than my feelings. 

Exodus 19:10-11 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day, because on that day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 

I feel everything to the extreme: Big joy, big despair, big anger. And I was taught to be meek before the Lord, not to show my true feelings as a sign of respect. I didn’t think God could handle my emotions. My anger would break Him, would cause Him to turn His back. But the truth is, God is bigger than every emotion I possess, and He loves me eternally. He is bigger than my feelings.

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 is to be put to death.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that You are bigger than my feelings. Thank You that I can be my authentic self with you–happy, sad, angry, confused, and You can handle my every emotion. Thank You for the reminder to feel my feelings, to submit them to You, and to trust You as the sovereign and loving God that You are. Amen.

Exodus 19:13 They are to be stoned or shot with arrows; not a hand is to be laid on them. No person or animal shall be permitted to live.’ Only when the ram’s horn sounds a long blast may they approach the mountain.”

Have a blessed day.