Readings for this week:
Monday: Exodus 11
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Sunday:
Introduction to Exodus 11-17
Chapter 11
After sending nine plagues against
Egypt – and with Pharaoh hardening his heart and refusing to let the Hebrews go
– God put to death all of the first born sons of Egypt.
And Pharaoh himself (who was worshiped as a god), as well as Min,
the god of reproduction, and Anubis, dog-headed god of embalming, were all
rendered powerless.
Chapters
12-13
God told the Israelites to kill a lamb and mark their doors with
its blood. And when the angel of death saw the blood on the doors, he would
“pass over” the house. This event came to be known as the Passover, or Pesach.
The death of the lamb pointed back to God’s promise to Abraham,
but it also pointed forward to the death of Christ. The New Testament refers to Christ as “our Passover lamb,”
because He died in our place. Also, Jesus was crucified during the week of the Passover
celebration.
Now God gave specific instructions on how the Israelites were to
celebrate the Passover from year to year. And the various elements of the Passover meal serve as symbols
of how God rescued, and continues to rescue, His people.
Some examples include:
The Maror (which is often made with horseradish) and is a bitter
dish, reminding them of the bitterness of their hardships.
Also, the Charoseth (which is often made with raisins, honey,
and nuts) and is a sweet dish, reminding them of the sweetness of God's
salvation.
Pharaoh told Moses to immediately take his people out of Egypt. And they left that very night. Through these ten plagues, God had defeated every last one of
the Egyptian gods, including Pharaoh. The Israelites left Egypt so quickly that they didn’t even have
time for their bread to rise... which is how the tradition of eating Matzah (a
Jewish flat bread) began. The Egyptians took off their jewelry and gave it to the
Israelites as they were leaving. And Some Egyptians even joined with the Israelites and left with
them.
Chapter 14
And The Israelites made camp by the Red Sea. But Pharaoh changed his mind again and he pursued them in order
to kill them.
But God Himself fought against Pharaoh and He appeared as smoke
and fire to give darkness to the Egyptians and light to the Hebrews. He also
sends His "wind" to divide the Red Sea so the Israelites can cross
over to safety. He then lures Pharaoh into this trap, only to crush Pharaoh and
his army with the waters of chaos.
Chapter 15
Exodus 15 is a song attributed to Moses and Miriam after God had destroyed
Pharaoh’s army. The text of this song is likely much older than the texts of the rest of the Exodus
story. The ancient Israelite understanding of this event was that God was making
Israel into a new creation. The Red Sea, like all seas in the Old Testament, serves as a symbol of chaos
and death. When God parts the sea, He does so with His “wind” or “Spirit,” (Hebrew: Ru’ach) bringing order to
chaos.
And God condemns all other gods, represented by Pharaoh and his army, to be lost forever in the chaos, but He brings his people through to the other side - out of death and into a new life.
And God condemns all other gods, represented by Pharaoh and his army, to be lost forever in the chaos, but He brings his people through to the other side - out of death and into a new life.
God led the his people out of Egypt and through
the desert. He wanted them in the desert. He could have taken them along the
coastal route, but He chose instead to lead them through the desert in order to
test them. The desert is a place of testing because in the
desert you cannot make it unless you rely completely on God. God didn't just want to see what His people
believed and knew in their hearts; He wanted to see that belief put into action
in their lives.
He appeared as a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night. After traveling for two days, God led the Israelites to a well. However, the water was bitter and they couldn't drink it. And the Israelites became angry and began to whine and grumble against Moses. So God told Moses to put a stick in the well, and the water became sweet. The place was named “Marah,” which means “bitter” because the water was bitter, and because the Israelites had a bitter spirit. The Hebrew root of the word "Marah" also refers to "deliberate, defiant disobedience."
The Israelites failed their first test. They showed God what was in their hearts... and their hearts were bitter. But God still chose to provide for their needs anyway, and he showed them that they needed to rely on Him to heal them of their bitterness, just as he turned the bitter water sweet.
God then led them away from "Marah" and they came to a place called Elim where there were twelve wells and seventy palms.
Chapter 16
He appeared as a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire by night. After traveling for two days, God led the Israelites to a well. However, the water was bitter and they couldn't drink it. And the Israelites became angry and began to whine and grumble against Moses. So God told Moses to put a stick in the well, and the water became sweet. The place was named “Marah,” which means “bitter” because the water was bitter, and because the Israelites had a bitter spirit. The Hebrew root of the word "Marah" also refers to "deliberate, defiant disobedience."
The Israelites failed their first test. They showed God what was in their hearts... and their hearts were bitter. But God still chose to provide for their needs anyway, and he showed them that they needed to rely on Him to heal them of their bitterness, just as he turned the bitter water sweet.
God then led them away from "Marah" and they came to a place called Elim where there were twelve wells and seventy palms.
Chapter 16
Later, the Israelites began to whine and grumble
against Moses again. They wanted the food that they had back in
Egypt. And so God provided food for them. He sent bread from heaven for them each morning. And every evening, he sent flocks of quail
through the camp.
When the Israelites first saw the bread from heaven lying on the ground, they said, “What is it?” They named the bread “manna,” which means “What is it?” The text says that the manna looked like “thin flakes of frost” ...so you could say God gave them Frosted Flakes every morning...
But God never gave them more than what they needed for the day – their “daily bread.” And when some of the Israelites tried to hoard the manna, it became infected with maggots. They were trying to rely on their own cleverness rather than on God's daily provision.
Chapter 17
When the Israelites first saw the bread from heaven lying on the ground, they said, “What is it?” They named the bread “manna,” which means “What is it?” The text says that the manna looked like “thin flakes of frost” ...so you could say God gave them Frosted Flakes every morning...
But God never gave them more than what they needed for the day – their “daily bread.” And when some of the Israelites tried to hoard the manna, it became infected with maggots. They were trying to rely on their own cleverness rather than on God's daily provision.
Chapter 17
God then led the Israelites to another desert
where there was again no water and the people once again began to whine and
grumble against Moses. Moses asked, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do
you put the LORD to the test?” And Moses complained about them to God, claiming
they were about to stone him.
So God told him to go hit a rock with his staff. And When Moses did so, water began gushing forth from the rock and everyone had enough to drink. Moses called the place “Massah and Meribah,” which means “testing and quarreling.”
Later, The Amalekites attacked the Israelites. They were the first people to declare war on Israel. While Joshua led the Israelites in battle, Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill and watched. Every time Moses lifted his arms towards heaven, the Israelites were winning, and every time he let his hands drop, they were losing. And Moses lifted his arms towards heaven all day long, and when he became too exhausted, Aaron and Hur held his arms up for him.
Joshua defeated the Amalekites, but he didn't do it alone. He had Moses' help... and Moses didn't work alone either, he had the help of Aaron and Hur. And none of them would have succeeded if it weren't for the help of God.
So God told him to go hit a rock with his staff. And When Moses did so, water began gushing forth from the rock and everyone had enough to drink. Moses called the place “Massah and Meribah,” which means “testing and quarreling.”
Later, The Amalekites attacked the Israelites. They were the first people to declare war on Israel. While Joshua led the Israelites in battle, Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill and watched. Every time Moses lifted his arms towards heaven, the Israelites were winning, and every time he let his hands drop, they were losing. And Moses lifted his arms towards heaven all day long, and when he became too exhausted, Aaron and Hur held his arms up for him.
Joshua defeated the Amalekites, but he didn't do it alone. He had Moses' help... and Moses didn't work alone either, he had the help of Aaron and Hur. And none of them would have succeeded if it weren't for the help of God.
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