Category: Exodus

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.

Exodus 19:5 Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 

The NLT translation of verse 5 includes this gem: “…you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth…” How beautiful is the thought that, out of all the people on the earth, *I* am God’s own special treasure. And I am. And so are you. We are His beloved creations, and I love that.

Exodus 19:6 you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

But here’s what always trips me up. That person who is plucking my last nerve, that person who is doing everything that to me seems wrong in this world, that person who seems to have targeted me or those I love or those I believe in most….those people are God’s own special treasures, too. They may not be currently living as such, but God loves them just as fiercely, just as completely. He wants a close, loving relationship with them, too.

Exodus 19:7 So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the joy that comes from knowing that I am Your own special treasure. Help me when I balk that the same is true for those folks whom I don’t like, don’t care for, don’t understand. They are Yours just as surely as I am. Help me to know what to do with that. Helped me to love like You do. Always. Amen.

Exodus 19:8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 18:24 Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. 

I wonder if Moses was a Type A. As a Type A myself, I know it can be quite easy to get so caught up in the doing, in executing “The Plan,” that it is hard to step back and see the big picture, to see if there is a better way that more effectively uses available resources. 

Exodus 18:25 He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 

I think part of being a good steward on this earth is ensuring that available resources are utilized wisely. I do not have to do everything. Honestly, I have skills that make certain things better for me to focus on. You have different skills, focusing on different areas. Being able to see and utilize people where they are most effective is part of the gig, I think.

Exodus 18:26 They served as judges for the people at all times. The difficult cases they brought to Moses, but the simple ones they decided themselves.

Precious Savior, Thank You for this reminder that we are all different, that we all have certain assets and skills, that we each have a role to play in this life, and the secret is finding where we fit and where others fit so we can each be as effective as possible. Help us to work together for our good and Your glory. Amen.

Exodus 18:27 Then Moses sent his father-in-law on his way, and Jethro returned to his own country.

Have a blessed day. 

Exodus 18:20 Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave. 

Today’s verses speak to both control and empowerment, and the content sent me back to the classroom. As a teacher, I would hand out printed instructions to each pod of students, go over them with the class as a whole, and then circulate to answer questions. My hope was that many folks could get started from the print and verbal instructions and would ask each other if they had questions. The goal was student empowerment. 

Exodus 18:21 But select capable men from all the people—men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain—and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. 

Sometimes that worked well and little questions were answered by podmates, but for those folks who weren’t inclined to do the work, they would just converse with others as they waited for me to come to them. Some had no interest in being self-motivated. Some were just really confused and wanted my input. For them, my attempt at empowerment seemed to reinforce learned helplessness, which was absolutely not the goal. 

Exodus 18:22 Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder that this life is not about our control. You are in control. You empower us to empower others so that we can shine Your light as we encourage others. Help me, Jesus. Help me. Amen.

Exodus 18:23 If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

Have a blessed day.