Exodus

40 posts

Exodus

As the magnificent story of the Israelites freedom from Egyptian bondage unravels through the book of Exodus, we will encounter many amazing and encouraging thoughts from their journey.  We will also see some of the raw human nature that tends to take over every human when hardship and difficulty are hard-pressing.

The children of Israel were descendants of Jacob.  His name was changed after he wrestled with the angel.  One of his many sons Joseph had become a powerful ruler there, second in command actually to Pharaoh.  It was through horrific circumstances and hardship, betrayal and hate that led his shackled feet as a slave to the mighty Egyptians.  He never stopped trusting his God.  Affliction: Growth or Resignation?

And so it would be under Joseph’s invitation through Pharaoh’s permission, the entire family moved to Egypt to escape a famine.  Through the decades that family grew into a large nation.  As a nation within another nation, they were polar opposite.  The sons of Jacob all died.  Their children’s children continued to grow and expand.  Sensing a growing threat of this force of a nation, a new Pharaoh made them his slaves.  His oppression was terrible and evil.  The Israelites were mistreated and every attempt was made to wear them down.  Remarkably the Israelites continued to grow in number and grew stronger.

“The more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew.” -Exodus 1:12 KJV

This was part of God’s ultimate plan.  This was why He kept them in Egypt for as long as they were.

Exodus 1

Exodus 1

Exodus 1 – The bitter labor that was given to Israel actually made them multiply and grow. In the future, when the Passover celebration would be established, the bitter herbs would come to represent the bitterness of …

Exodus 2

Exodus 2

Exodus 2 – He was given the name of Moses by Pharaoh’s daughter because she “drew him out of the water.” It Hebrew his name means “one who draws out.” This would be a common theme in …

Exodus 3

Exodus 3

Exodus 3 – God shows His character to Moses by both coming down to him and promising to be present with him.  We read the details in verses 8 and 12. “So I have come down to …

Exodus 4

Exodus 4

Exodus 4 – Moses was uncertain about serving God, and his fears represent the same struggles many of us have today. God was asking for Moses to go all in, and his hesitancy can be categorized into …

Exodus 5

Exodus 5

Exodus 5 – This is just the beginning of Moses’ journey and, understandably, he’s ready to give up. We often feel like this. God calls us to something, and we try and follow through the best of …

Exodus 6

Exodus 6

Exodus 6 – Leap of faith. Failure. Encouragement. Repeat. This pretty much sums up the journey of Moses. Likewise, it may sum up our spiritual lives. God not only reminds Moses of His promises, but He gives …

Exodus 7

Exodus 7

Exodus 7 – The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was something God had reminded Moses of time and time again. We read it in Exodus 4, Exodus 7, and twice in Exodus 14. The hardening of the heart …

Exodus 8

Exodus 8

Exodus 8 – Pharaoh was so hardened that even when the supernatural evidence was directly before him, he refused to acknowledge it. Notice that God not only sends Moses and Aaron to testify to His power, but …

Exodus 9

Exodus 9

Exodus 9 – Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail. Exodus 9:26 NASB There are many instances of this same theme in Scripture. Here in Exodus, it reminds …

Exodus 10

Exodus 10

Exodus 10 – In verse 3, Moses asks Pharaoh how long he will go before humbling himself. This seems to be a contrast to the many verses thus far which have outlined God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. …

Exodus 11

Exodus 11

Exodus 11 – It’s agreed upon by scholars that the first three verses of this chapter be read in the past tense. This means as the plague of darkness swept over the land, God began to prime …

Exodus 12

Exodus 12

Exodus 12 – The Passover is a powerful event in both Jewish tradition as well as Christianity. One major difference, obviously, is that the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah. It’s tradition when the Jews celebrate the …

Exodus 13

Exodus 13

Exodus 13 – The way God led was definitely the “road less traveled.” The people did not go directly toward Canaan. There were traditionally three main routes from Egypt to Asia. The most …

Exodus 14

Exodus 14

Exodus 14 – Like the Canaanites, ancient Israel thought of the sea as an uncontrollable beast. At creation the Lord hovered over the waters of chaos. At the flood, the raging waters engulfed the sinful generation that …

Exodus 15

Exodus 15

Exodus 15 – The structure of this song can be broken up into four sections with a one-line closing declaration. The first stanza briefly mentions the powerful victory of the Lord. Stanza two mocks the enemy’s failed …

Exodus 16

Exodus 16

Exodus 16 – I’ve had the opportunity over the years to witness many young people and adults get confronted with the Gospel and respond to the call. In most of those situations, the moment their hearts are …

Exodus 17

Exodus 17

Exodus 17 – The team was assembled and ready to go! Joshua would lead the army into battle. This is the first we’ve heard of Joshua but, of course, it wouldn’t be the last. His training here …

Exodus 18

Exodus 18

Exodus 18 – The advice Jethro gave to Moses has been used in countless illustrations regarding delegation and leadership. The practicality of his advice is a step toward the ultimate goal – individual accountability. Teaching people the …

Exodus 19

Exodus 19

Exodus 19 – When I read how the people trembled with fear at the thunder and lightning, I think about the lion from the Wizard of Oz and how terrified he was. I also wonder if we …

Exodus 20

Exodus 20

Exodus 20 – The 10 Commandments illustrate the vertical and horizontal obedience that God desired for humanity. Jesus came to fulfill and (in many ways) raise the standard of the law. Mount Sinai was a particular summit …

Exodus 21

Exodus 21

Exodus 21 – God, through His law, established some basic truths that the people were to follow. It’s interesting how things are viewed somewhat differently today. During a less civilized time, and without the indwelling Holy Spirit …

Exodus 22

Exodus 22

Exodus 22 – I am most struck by verses 22 and 25 in this chapter. God has, from the beginning, always had special feelings toward the orphaned, the widowed, and the poor. If anyone wanted to set …

Exodus 23

Exodus 23

Exodus 23 – “You shall not bear a false report; do not join your hand with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. Exodus 23:1 NASB “Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill …

Exodus 24

Exodus 24

Exodus 24 – What does the manifestation of God look like? For Moses and these others, they received a small glimpse of His glory. The description, as in Revelation as well, hardly does it justice. In fact, …

Exodus 25

Exodus 25

Exodus 25 – The ark, and later the tabernacle, would be constructed from the wood of the acacia tree. It was a hard-grained wood that was a natural insect repellent and dark orange in color. Because of …

Exodus 26

Exodus 26

Exodus 26 – “You shall make a screen for the doorway of the tent of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver.  37  “You shall make five pillars of …

Exodus 27

Exodus 27

Exodus 27 – “You shall charge the sons of Israel, that they bring you clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually. Exodus 27:20 NASB Light is the essence of God. …

Exodus 28

Exodus 28

Exodus 28 – “You shall make on its hem pomegranates of blue and purple and scarlet material, all around on its hem, and bells of gold between them all around: Exodus 28:33 NASB You may ask, why …

Exodus 29

Exodus 29

Exodus 29 – From the beginning we get a glimpse of God’s design for sacrifice. Consecration. This word was translated ‘hallow’ and meant distinct, holy, and set aside for God’s purposes.  Most of us probably think of …

Exodus 30

Exodus 30

Exodus 30 – The ability to come before God is an opportunity, not a right. Aaron was given the duty of burning sweet incense at morning and at twilight on this smaller altar. To us it may …

Exodus 31

Exodus 31

Exodus 31 – At the end of the chapter, God reminds Israel of the third sign of their covenant – the Sabbath. Overall, these signs were established as a reminder of the great provision of God, and …

Exodus 32

Exodus 32

Exodus 32 – The first question I asked when reading this chapter was – what caused this? We read in the very first verse that it was because of a delay. How many times have we allowed …

Exodus 33

Exodus 33

Exodus 33 – Perseverance. Can you imagine being Moses? On one hand, he is a spiritual leader for these obstinate people. He lives among them. He leads them. He loves them. On the other hand, the Lord …

Exodus 34

Exodus 34

Exodus 34 – The term glory is not really an accurate depiction of what Moses asked for and received from God. We tend to associate the word “glory” with majestic light. A lot of times it has …

Exodus 35

Exodus 35

Exodus 35 – Think upon the skills that were required of a master craftsman. Obviously, the person would be gifted in craftsmanship, but according to Scripture, that trait is not enough. Craftsmanship alone has a tendency to …

Exodus 36

Exodus 36

Exodus 36 – Can you believe it? I don’t recall very many stories in the Bible where a cheerful giver was giving so much that they had to be restrained. Exodus 36:3-5 NASB  They received from Moses …

Exodus 37

Exodus 37

Exodus 37 – Let’s take a moment to briefly summarize what makes this chapter so fruitful. We have the Holy Spirit, working among the people, filling them with gifts to craft together the elements that God had …

Exodus 38

Exodus 38

Exodus 38 – The values are given here for the exact weight of the gold, silver and bronze used in construction. The GoldCommentators differ in their opinion of just how much gold was actually used. The weight …

Exodus 39

Exodus 39

Exodus 39 – At the end of the chapter, Scripture tells us that everything God had commanded, the children of Israel completed. The construction went without a hitch. We see no evidence of an argument or distraction. …

Exodus 40

Exodus 40

Exodus 40 – The glory of God came down and dwelled in the constructed tent. Previously, when God came near to the people, they were terrified. Now, they are overjoyed at His presence. They have been obedient …