Category: Exodus

Exodus 3:18a “The elders of Israel will listen to you…. 

This is quite the elaborate plan to free the Israelites. It involves both Moses and God acting in concert to bring about freedom. I’m not at all surprised that Moses, in Exodus 4, balks and says, essentially, “But God…”

Exodus 3:18b …Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ 

But God, the King of all creation, knows what we can do and what we can do through Him, with Him, and in Him. He knows Moses’s fears and doubts. He even allows Moses a crutch that will end up causing him trouble, but He knows that He can use Moses in a powerful way, even if Moses doesn’t yet believe it.

Exodus 3:19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 

Lord, Forgive me when I balk at what you are asking of me. Forgive me when I allow my doubts and fears to hinder my saying yes to You. Turn my “But God…” excuses into Your “Because of God…” realities. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 3:20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go.

Have a blessed day.

Exodus 3:7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 

I have seen…. I have heard…. I am concerned…. These words speak to an active, compassionate God who is paying attention to His people, even those who are stiff-necked and rebellious. He doesn’t revel in their suffering. He loves His people, and He’s come to rescue them.

Exodus 3:8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 

He wants to bring His people from a land of captivity and oppression into a spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey. However, that is going to involve a lot of scary change–for the Israelites, but even sooner for Moses.

Exodus 3:9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 

Lord, I wish I could say that I don’t even understand the hesitation of Moses and later the Israelites. You love them. You see their suffering. You want what’s best for them. But change is hard. Stepping out of your comfort zone–even if you are miserable in your comfort zone–is hard. Help us not to be afraid when You call our names, when You try to bring us to a good and spacious land flowing with milk and honey. Help us, even when we are afraid, especially then. Amen.

Exodus 3:10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Have a blessed day.

Exodus 3:4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

I wonder if Moses had any idea that he was talking to the Lord when he answered, “Here I am.” I wonder if that automatic response was his authentic self or if the list of reasons he’s about to give for why he’s a bad fit for God’s task is his true self.

Exodus 3:5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 

I wonder how much fear and curiosity warred within Moses or even came into play at all during this whole exchange. I wonder what I would have done in the same situation, knowing my propensity for curiosity as well as my fear of the unknown and my awareness of my limitations.

Exodus 3:6a Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”… 

Lord, I wonder so many things as I read your word, but one thing I know for certain is that You will use us–the curious, flawed, broken, fearful, angry, hopeful–You can, will, and do use us *if* we allow. Help me, Jesus, to answer Your call enthusiastically, knowing that with You, through You, in You, I can do anything. Amen.

Exodus 3:6b …At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

Have a blessed day.

Exodus 3:1 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 

What strikes me about today’s scripture is that it starts with Moses being curious and seeking to know more. This strikes me, I think, because I am a “why” kind of gal. I like to understand things–how they work, why choices were made, etc. This tendency has led me into trouble more than once. It’s also led me to some great understandings.

Exodus 3:2a There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush….

What begins with Moses’s curiosity about a burning bush that is not consumed eventually leads to 600,000 Israelites being led to freedom from Egypt. Imagine if Moses had simply thought, ”That’s weird” about the burning bush and then gone about his day instead of noticing and being curious, asking questions and drawing closer.

Exodus 3:2b …Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 

Lord, My curiosity can be annoying–for me and for others, but it also can be a beautiful way for You to get my attention, to show me what You would have me to do, see, understand. Help me to be curious for You, in You, with You, to notice Your presence, to ask questions and to draw closer to You. Always. Amen.

Exodus 3:3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

Have a blessed day.

Exodus 32:15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 

Moses talked God out of destroying the Israelites in His anger over the golden calf incident. Yet when he, Moses, saw the Israelites dancing around the golden calf, he was so incensed that he smashed the Ten Commandments tablet. More interesting to me is the fact that the pieces of the broken tablet and the whole, rewritten tablet of the Ten Commandments both were placed in the Ark of the Covenant.

Exodus 32:16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.

One article I found said, “Putting the broken tablets in the Ark of the Covenant is to put our failure at the heart of our relationship with God.” That is a powerful thought. I want to hide my failures, to keep them from God, but they are a crucial part of our relationship. It is because of my failures that I need Him so much. It is in spite of my failures that He loves me so much.

Exodus 32:19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 

Lord, Thank You for the powerful truth that I am broken yet deeply, fiercely loved by You. Thank You that even in my failure, You cover me with Your grace. Help me to love as You love–compassionately, gracefully, abundantly. Amen.

Exodus 32:20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.

Have a blessed day.

Exodus 32:21 He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”

Way back in Exodus 3, God called Moses to deliver His people from exile. Moses came up with a bevy of excuses (“Who am I to do this?” “What am I supposed to tell them?” “What if they don’t believe me?” “I’m not a very good speaker.” “Please send someone else.” Exodus 3-4). Because Moses was so reluctant, so hesitant to accept God’s call, God suggested Moses take Aaron with him. And look how that turned out for Moses.

Exodus 32:22 “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. 

I wonder how this scene would have turned out had Moses, back in Exodus 3, said immediately, “I’ll go, Lord. I know You are with me. I know You will guide me.” But he didn’t. He doubted and whined and made excuses. And God still used him, but Aaron led the whole golden calf debacle. I wonder how many times in my own hemming and hawing and floundering I’ve caused similar issues, similar grief and discord, when, if I had trusted and obeyed, things could have gone relatively smoothly. I’m sure I’ll never know.

Exodus 32:23 They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’

Lord, You don’t want automatons who mindlessly obey. You want people who love You, who follow You, who listen to You with open hearts and minds. Thank You for the ability to seek and question, even when it doesn’t turn out as I hoped. Thank You for using all of life to draw me closer to You. Help me not to be afraid, even when I can’t see what’s ahead. Amen.

Exodus 32:24 So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”

Have a blessed day.