Category: Exodus

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.

Exodus 16:17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 

Like many, I struggle with scarcity mentality, with the fear of lack, of running out. I joke that I could survive for a very long time if I were cut off from all means of obtaining necessities because of the things I’ve squirreled away. This tendency doesn’t fill me with joy, however.

Exodus 16:18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

This tendency feels like a necessity, but what it really is is a crutch to give me the illusion of control, and God has been whispering to my heart for a while to surrender this tendency to Him, to fully trust Him, to rely on Him instead of clinging to the illusion that I am in control.

Exodus 16:19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

Lord, Trying to maintain the illusion of control is exhausting. Trying to squirrel things away so that I feel safe is exhausting. I hear You calling me to surrender this illusion of control, to trust that You will provide for me daily–manna from Heaven. I want to listen. I want to heed Your voice, but I’ve been trying to do it on my own for so long that I don’t know where to start. Help me, Jesus. 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. So Moses was angry with them.

Have a blessed day.

Exodus 16:6-7 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?”

Change stresses me out. I don’t handle it well. I don’t like the unknown. And I’ve got a whole lot of change coming. I am cranky. I grumble A LOT. I don’t like it. I don’t like me when I’m like this. The emotions don’t feel good within my body. And my cranky grumbling spills out into every area of my life. Jesus, Help me.

Exodus 16:8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”

My behavior feels very much like the Israelites in this passage of Exodus. They grumble, whine, complain because they are scared. And Moses and Aaron point out, repeatedly, that it is God whom they are grumbling against, not man. God hears them. And instead of smiting them to shut them up, God gives them manna to remind them that He loves them and will provide.

Exodus 16:9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’ ”

Lord, I do not want to grumble. I don’t want to be afraid. Thank You for this reminder that Your default is compassion, not rage. Thank You for the reminder that You understand the human tendency to doubt, fear, and grumble. I know that You send manna daily, provision and blessings for me. I know it, even in my fear. Help me to be grateful instead of grumbly. Grant me Your peace. Amen.

Exodus 16:11-12 The Lord said to Moses, “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. 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.’ ”

Have a blessed day.