Place

Readings for today: Exodus 37-40

A few years ago, an atheist accidentally broke Twitter when he/she posted, “Christianity is a belief that one God created a universe 13.79 billion years old, 93 billion light years in diameter (1 light year = approx 6 trillion miles), consisting of over 200 billion galaxies, each containing an average of 200 billion stars, all to have a personal relationship with you.” What they intended for snark, Christians naturally picked up and retweeted like crazy as a great description of what our faith believes. It’s truly astounding to consider. The God who created all things. The universe and all that is in it. The earth and all that is in it. The God who knit each of us together in our mother’s wombs. Who calls each star by name. Who sets the planets in motion. Who governs the universe by His Word. This same God desires to have a relationship with us. Desires to dwell with us. Desires to have a people to call His very own.

Perhaps this puts everything we’re reading into proper perspective. I know it’s easy to get lost in all the details of the tabernacle. It’s easy to wonder why God cares so much about the furnishings of the place where He will dwell. It’s tempting to project on God our own issues of greed, jealousy, envy, etc. (Why does God need all the gold and opulence?) Sometimes we even take the step of placing ourselves in judgment over God as we question His motives, doubt His intentions, and challenge His authority. But then we have to take a step back and remember who it is we are talking about. We are talking about the same God who created everything listed in that atheist’s tweet above. So perhaps His ways are higher than our ways? Perhaps His thoughts are higher than our thoughts? Perhaps He is under no obligation to explain Himself to us? Perhaps He doesn’t answer to us? Perhaps He is far above and beyond us and we should remember our place?

Philosopher Sally McFague once defined sin as a “refusal to remain in our place.” We aspire to be gods. We aspire to be like God. We refuse to stay in the role of a servant. We refuse to remain in our place as God’s instruments of blessing in this world. We want more. We want it all. We want to reign and rule and exercise our own dominion over all God has made. In our pride, we believe we should be the masters of our own destinies and the captains of our own souls. In our ignorance, we believe we have the right and the standing to challenge God on His terms. And that’s why I believe God sets up the Tabernacle. It’s why His glory descends upon it like a cloud. He wants to remind us to stay in our place. Not to put us down but to lift us up. Not to break us down but to build us up. It’s healthy for us to be reminded He is God and we are not.

“Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. But when the cloud was lifted up from the tabernacle, the Israelites would set out on all their journeys; but if the cloud was not lifted up, then they would not journey further until the day it was lifted up. For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, but fire would be on it at night, in plain view of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭40‬:‭34‬-‭38‬ ‭NET‬‬)

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 1-4

Presence

Readings for today: Exodus 33-36

Aliquid Immensum Infinitumque. It’s Latin for “something immense and infinite.” It’s a way to describe how we feel when we stand at the shore of the ocean or stand on top of a mountain or look up into the night time sky and see the Milky Way. In those moments, we find ourselves getting in touch with our “smallness” and God’s “bigness.” The feelings are often overwhelming and awe-inspiring. There’s no way for us to manufacture anything quite like it. Even AI would be at a loss to depict or describe the immensity and eternity and infinity of God. There simply is no substitute for His presence.

This is the truth that gripped Moses and the people of Israel at the foot of Mt. Sinai. It’s not enough for God to send His angels ahead of them to drive out the inhabitants of the Promised Land. It’s not enough for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to bring their descendants into a land flowing with milk and honey. If God will not go with them, then the journey isn’t worth undertaking. If God will not be with them, then all the blessings will turn to dust. So Moses sets up a tent. He prevails on God daily. He refuses to leave until God agrees to grow with them. God is testing Israel. He’s testing them to see if they truly want a relationship with Him or if they are in it just for the blessings. Do they truly love Him or are they seeking to use Him as a means to their own ends? After all, that’s what idolatry is all about. It’s an attempt to control God. Manipulate God. Coerce God into doing our will. This is why God had Moses grind the golden calf into powder. This is why God gives such stern warnings about false worship. He is a jealous God. Not jealous in a sinful way but jealous in a protective way for the relationship He has with us.

Is God’s presence enough? It’s an important question. If we never received a single blessing from God, would the promise of His presence be enough for us? What if God offered you all of your hopes and dreams, even promising His angels would go before you to make it all happen, but without His presence? Would you take it? Take some time today and reflect on your life. How much of it do you live with little to no awareness of God’s presence? What spiritual activities are you engaging in to intentionally create an awareness of God’s abiding presence in your life?

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 37-40

Ordination

Readings for today: Exodus 29-32

I remember my ordination. After three years of seminary. Six years as a candidate. Several examinations both written and oral. I was eligible to be ordained to the office of pastor. It took place on a Sunday morning at Overlook Presbyterian Church in Mobile, AL. They had called me as their pastor. I had just moved into town. It was my very first Sunday. I put on my traditional black robe. I dawned my traditional stole. I put my grandfather’s cross over the top of it all. During the service, I was asked to take several vows, committing myself to serve the Lord and His people with faithfulness. There were about eighty people there and over the next six years, they shaped me into the pastor I am today. They listened attentively to my sermons. They prayed for me and my family. They supported my crazy ideas. They celebrated our successes. They lamented our failures. They invited me into their lives. I buried some of them. I married some of them. I baptized some of them. I walked with them through good times and bad times. Sat at their bedsides in the hospital. Visited them in their homes. Together, we made a significant impact for the Kingdom of God and I will remain forever grateful for them. They are some of my favorite people in the world.

I wonder if this is how Aaron and his sons felt as they were consecrated to serve as priests for the people of Israel. Obviously, their job was much harder than mine. They served a congregation of several hundred thousand. They offered up sacrifices day and night. They performed all kinds of complicated rituals. They wore elaborate vestments. They were set apart to serve as mediators between God and His people. And it was serious business. If they failed to take their role seriously, the consequences could be fatal like in the case of the golden calf. I imagine Aaron carried the guilt of his actions that day to his grave. But it serves as a sober reminder as to what can happen when we abandon our calling to represent God and instead choose to please people.

In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter makes a startling statement. He calls Christians a “royal priesthood.” The idea here is that every Christian is now “ordained” a priest by virtue of their connection to our great high priest, Jesus Christ. All of us are “living stones” Peter says, built up as a spiritual temple, so we might serve as royal priests and offer spiritual sacrifices that are pleasing to God through Jesus Christ. It’s not that we have to bring lambs or bulls to the altar. The days of blood sacrifice are long gone. No, now we offer our very lives as a “living sacrifice”, holy and pleasing to God. This is our spiritual act of worship. In this way, all of us are ordained. All of us are consecrated. All of us are set apart so we might intercede for the world.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 33-36

Reading Ourselves into the Story

Readings for today: Exodus 25-28

So many reading plans start to crash at this point in the journey. Making our way though the latter parts of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers is a real struggle. It’s easy to breeze over the blueprints of the tabernacle. Skim through the thread counts of the priestly garments. Get lost in the weeds of all the laws in Leviticus. And then stop reading altogether once we hit the statistical reports in the Book of Numbers. I’ve been doing this for over thirty years. I get it. The readings start to feel boring. Pointless. Worthless.

But perhaps that’s because we read the Bible selfishly. Perhaps it’s because we read with a desire to “get something out of it” rather than read ourselves into it. Perhaps it’s because we project our own experiences and biases and cultural understandings back onto the text which makes it feel so foreign and strange. We look at all this detail and we can’t understand it. We wonder why God’s so concerned about the furnishings of the sanctuary or what His people eat or what they wear. We struggle to grasp the significance of all the offerings the people bring and why God demands such things in the first place. We start to wonder if the God of the Old Testament truly is capricious and arbitrary and not worthy to be trusted.

This is why it is so important to pay attention to verses like Exodus 25:22 NET. “I will meet with you there, and from above the atonement lid, from between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will command you for the Israelites.” It’s important to stop and ponder and pray over verses like this that we will find sprinkled throughout the text. It reminds us that everything God does has a purpose. And that purpose is to make it possible for His people to be in relationship with Him. Take a step back for just a minute. The omnipotent and omniscient and omnipresent God of the universe is under no obligation to interact with His people. God could have just as easily washed His hands of this whole human mess when Adam and Eve first sinned in the garden. He has a universe to run. Surely He has better things to do with His time? And yet, He chooses to love us. He chooses to reveal Himself to us. He chooses to meet with us. Dwell with us. Live in covenantal relationship with us. It’s astounding!

Sin causes us to forget our place. We are not the center of the universe. So in order to read the Bible for all its worth, we have to set aside our natural, sinful inclination to make it all about us. These books were not written so that we could get something out of them. Some nugget of wisdom or inspiration to put on a coffee cup or post on Twitter. The Bible was written to describe the history of God’s interactions with the people He had chosen from among the nations of the earth. This is their story. This is their history. And we only “get something out of it” if we seek first to immerse ourselves in it.

What does that look like? Here we have to exercise our imaginations. Imagine being a young Israelite child. Each night before bed you see the scars on your father’s back from the whips he endured in Egypt. Your mother, now in her late twenties, looks ancient because of the physical, psychological, and sexual trauma she’s endured. Your older siblings tell you very real horror stories of what life was like when you and your family were slaves. Each day is a struggle for survival. You barely have enough to eat. Barely have enough to drink. Your legs are tired from the miles you’ve walked. Your back hurts from the burdens you’ve carried. And now you find yourself at the foot of Mt. Sinai. The summit surrounded by smoke and fire. The ground shakes occasionally. Thunder rolls. Some of the older people tell you it’s the voice of God. You’ve seen His power firsthand. The plagues. The pillar of fire. The parting of the Red Sea. But you don’t know this God. You’ve never met this God. You have idea if you can trust this God. All you know is that He seems to be on your side…for now.

How would you learn more about this God? How would learn to love this God? How would you learn to worship this God? Only if He chose to teach you. Only if He chose to reveal Himself to you. Only if He chose to dwell with you. So Moses and Aaron start to give you instructions on how to build a sanctuary. A place for God to dwell. You start to meet with this God. You learn to recognize His voice. You learn to follow His will. A relationship begins to form. You feel loved. Protected. Cared for. Watched over. Then Moses and Aaron start to issue laws that will govern your collective life. A national identity begins to take shape. You realize you are part of something bigger than yourself. Part of not only a family and a clan and a tribe but a nation that God Himself has chosen out of all the nations of the earth. And as your heart fills with gratitude and love for all God has done for you and your people, you begin to bring Him offerings. Silver and gold and the finest animals of your flock. Not because you have to but because you want to return back to Him the best of what He’s given to you.

As you read over the next several days and weeks, keep pushing yourself to become part of the story. Don’t just read for information. Don’t even read for inspiration. Read with a desire to find yourself in the story. Read with a desire to come alongside and experience life with our spiritual fathers and mothers. Read with a desire to understand what life must have been like for them as they were learning all about this new God. And as you walk in their sandals a bit, trust God to reveal Himself to you in new and fresh ways.

Readings for tomorrow: No devotionals on Sundays

Limits

Readings for today: Exodus 22-24

My family has owned farmland in Nebraska for generations. In fact, my great-great-great grandfather was one of the largest landowners in the state at one time. Over the years, the land has been divided up between kids, grandkids, great-grandkids, etc. However, I still had the privilege, when I was growing up, of going back to help with the planting and the harvest. I got to help run cattle in the pasture. I got to brand and feed and get them ready for market. Some of my fondest memories are spending early mornings with my grandfather on the feedlot. After my father died two years ago, my mom made the decision to sell the land. As we got the land ready for sale, we realized one of our neighbors up there had cattle who knocked down a fence and grazed in our corn land. So we had to work with her on restitution. It reminded me of what we read in Exodus today. “If a man grazes his livestock in a field or a vineyard, and he lets the livestock loose and they graze in the field of another man, he must make restitution from the best of his own field and the best of his own vineyard.” (Exodus‬ ‭22‬:‭5‬ ‭NET‬‬)

Laws establish boundaries. They determine the limits of human behavior. They govern commerce, property, relationships, etc. They are critical to the establishment of a nation. Especially in the ancient world where there were no limits on retribution. Nations cannot exist without laws. Communities cannot exist without boundaries. One must know where the lines fall so we know where and when we transgress and we need to know the consequences if/when those things happen. Healthy laws and boundaries are critical to creating the conditions under which human beings thrive. Without the rule of law, human beings suffer unimaginable horrors as evil is allowed to run amok. Sadly, I have seen this firsthand in some of the places I travel to every year.

Sometimes Christians can get caught up making a false dichotomy. We set “grace” and “law” in opposition to one another when the Bible lays them side by side. Jesus Himself says, “If you love Me, you will obey my commandments.” (John 14:15 NET) Clearly, it’s a “both/and” and not an “either/or.” Does that mean Christians are bound to keep the entirety of the Old Testament law? Not at all. We have to understand the law’s purpose. Some of the laws in the Bible are specific to the nation of Israel. Some of the laws are specific to the worship of Israel. Neither of these are in effect anymore as we don’t live in ancient Israel and Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws governing the worship of ancient Israel. What laws does that leave? The moral law. Laws like the Ten Commandments. These are still very much in force and actually reinforced by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Embracing God’s law means embracing healthy limits and boundaries which, in turn, sets us free.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 25-28

Identity

Readings for today: Exodus 19-21

Who am I? It’s a fundamental question. What makes me…me? What makes up my personhood? What grounds my identity? Is it my gender? My sexual orientation? My ethnicity? My nationality? Is it the family or clan or tribe I happen to come from? Is it my economic or social status? Does it have to do with my educational level? My profession? My level of influence in the world? Surely, all of these contribute to a sense of identity but none of them is strong enough to handle the full complexity of the human person. None of them is comprehensive enough to describe the full measure of what it means to be human. And if I try and ground my identity in any of these, my life will flatten out, becoming two dimensional, and I will lose out on so much of what God has for me.

I imagine Israel was asking this question. Now that they’ve been miraculously delivered from slavery, who are they? Who are they as a people? Who are they as a nation? They could have easily gone in a thousand different directions, trying to find the answers but thankfully, God had one already prepared. “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. And now, if you will diligently listen to me and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, and you will be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.” (Exodus‬ ‭19‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NET‬‬) God’s special possession. A kingdom of priests. A holy nation. From this point forward, Israel’s life will not be her own. She was bought with a price. God Himself intervened in human history and brought them out on eagle’s wings from under the tyranny of the greatest empire of the day. God did this because He wanted a people to call His own. A people with whom He would dwell. A people He would love and lead and protect and provide for all the days of their lives. And all He asks in return is that they listen to Him and keep His covenant.

Through Jesus Christ, the way has been opened for Gentiles to become part of God’s chosen people. To be “grafted in” as the Apostle Paul says in the Book of Romans. To be adopted as God’s own children and made part of His family. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we too become a royal priesthood, a chosen race, and a holy nation. Christ Himself becomes our identity, eclipsing all others. I am now a Christian. Full stop. No modifiers or qualifiers needed. All other worldly distinctions fade away. I am fully His even as He is fully mine and it is enough. He is all I need.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 22-24

Whining

Readings for today: Exodus 14-18

I am not a big fan of whining. Ask my children and they will tell you that one of the things that really spun me up as a dad was when they whined. I am not sure why it is such a hot button for me. Perhaps it was how I was raised. Perhaps it’s because of how hard I’ve had to work my whole life. Perhaps it’s because whining and complaining is just not something I tend to do. It’s such a tender spot for me that every time I read Exodus, I find myself getting a little frustrated, even angry, with God’s people. They seem to complain all the time!

“Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the desert? What in the world have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we can serve the Egyptians, because it is better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” (Exodus‬ ‭14‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ NET)

 “So the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What can we drink?”(Exodus‬ ‭15‬:‭24‬ ‭NET‬‬)

 “The entire company of Israelites murmured against Moses and Aaron in the desert. The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this desert to kill this whole assembly with hunger!” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭16‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭NET‬‬)

These are the same people who literally watched God part the Red Sea! Literally watched God fight for them against the Egyptians! Literally watched God rain manna and quail down from heaven! Literally watched God bring water from a rock! How can they not believe? 

Recently, God gave me new insight. As I read, I find myself paying particular attention to how God responds. I am definitely more like Moses. I get frustrated. Angry. Upset. The whining and complaining gets on my nerves. But then I look at how God responds. 

“The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. And as for you, lift up your staff and extend your hand toward the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites may go through the middle of the sea on dry ground. And as for me, I am going to harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will come after them, that I may be honored because of Pharaoh and his army and his chariots and his horsemen. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I have gained my honor because of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen….So the Lord saved Israel on that day from the power of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea. When Israel saw the great power that the Lord had exercised over the Egyptians, they feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.” (Exodus‬ ‭14‬:‭15‬-‭18‬, ‭30‬-‭31‬ ‭NET‬‬)

“He cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When Moses threw it into the water, the water became safe to drink. There the Lord made for them a binding ordinance, and there he tested them. He said, “If you will diligently obey the Lord your God, and do what is right in his sight, and pay attention to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, then all the diseases that I brought on the Egyptians I will not bring on you, for I, the Lord, am your healer.” (Exodus‬ ‭15‬:‭25‬-‭26‬ ‭NET‬‬)

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people will go out and gather the amount for each day, so that I may test them. Will they walk in my law or not?…And the Lord spoke to Moses: “I have heard the murmurings of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘During the evening you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be satisfied with bread, so that you may know that I am the Lord your God.’” (Exodus‬ ‭16‬:‭4‬, ‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NET‬‬)

It really is remarkable when you stop to think about it. God meeting the needs of His people over and over again. And while it’s extremely difficult to discern the tone of God’s voice as He speaks, I imagine it is sometimes tender. Sometimes stern. Sometimes there’s probably an edge to it and other times God is deeply compassionate. The point of it all is that these are the actions of a loving Father who is raising up His children to know Him and love Him and serve Him in this world. God is forming a family.  He is teaching them to trust Him. To lean on Him. To believe in Him. He gives them tests along the way so they can learn about the great faithfulness of God for themselves. Deliverance through the Red Sea. Egyptians and Amalekites destroyed. Manna every day. Quail every night. Water from rocks. Purified water from a bitter spring. This is how God is raises His children. Even to this day. 

So back to whining. If I’m honest, I’m a whiner as well. I do complain a lot. Deep down in my heart, I struggle all the time with frustrations and fears. Failures and uncertainty. I have longings that go unfulfilled. I have needs that go unmet. I often feel like I deserve more. Like I’m entitled because of all the hard work I’ve put in. All these emotions lie below the surface if I am totally transparent and how does God respond? He puts me to the test. He places me in situations where I have no choice but to cry out to Him. Why? Because He’s teaching me every single day what it means to be His child. To grow into His likeness and image. To become the man He’s created and called me to be.  

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 19-21

Hard Hearts

Readings for today: Exodus 10-13

I used to have little sympathy for Pharaoh. I would read through this section of Exodus and shake my head at the number of times he hardened his heart against the will of God. I considered him evil and therefore not really worthy of my attention. He was the enemy of God’s chosen people who oppressed them in all sorts of terrible ways and therefore didn’t deserve any mercy or grace at all. Furthermore, God seems to feel the same way about Pharaoh. After all, He tells Moses He will harden Pharaoh’s heart in order to demonstrate His greatness over the nations of the earth. He will display His glory for all the earth to see as He humbles the greatest ruler of the greatest empire on earth at the time.

However, as a pastor, I have sat across the counseling table with far too many people and have watched them harden their own hearts against the will of God. It is heartbreaking to witness. People I love dearly who are experiencing all kinds of crisis and still they resist God. Often they will take steps to follow God initially when things are at their darkest, just like Pharaoh does after the plagues. At times it seems he is on the verge of letting God’s people go only to recant once a particular plague has passed. The same is often true of the people I work with. As soon as the worst of the crisis passes, they return back to their old ways.

The mystery of who hardens Pharaoh’s heart is a challenging one to grapple with. Does God harden Pharaoh’s heart? Does Pharaoh have a choice in the matter? Does Pharaoh harden his own heart? Does God simply reinforce the choices Pharaoh is already making? I honestly do not know. Neither does the Apostle Paul who grapples with this very question in Romans 9. There he essentially asks, “What if God raised Pharaoh up so that He might display His power in him and proclaim His name in the whole earth?” Does this make God unjust? Not so, says Paul. For God is God and He is fully within His rights to show mercy on whom He will show mercy and harden whom He wants to harden.

At the end of the day, all of us have to answer this question for ourselves - Are we hardening our hearts towards God? Are we thinking and acting in ways that reinforce sinful patterns in our lives? Have we truly humbled ourselves and surrendered to God? The Scriptures say God desires all to be saved and come to a knowledge of His truth. They say God so loved the world that He gave His only Son and whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall receive everlasting life. Do not harden your heart today. Respond to the call of the gospel. Give your life to Jesus Christ and He will give you a new heart, one that can never be hardened again.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 14-18

Who is the Lord?

Readings for today: Exodus 5-9

At first glance, the theme of the Book of Exodus seems to be deliverance. Freedom. The end of slavery. The poor and powerless overcoming the rich and powerful. The defeat of empire. And while all those themes are certainly present in the book, they are not the main point. They are byproducts of a much greater, much grander theme and that is God making Himself known. The Book of Exodus is ultimately a book about God. It reveals His divine nature and character. It is God re-introducing Himself to the world and to His people after hundreds of years of seeming silence.

For those who may not be familiar with Egyptian history and mythology, Pharaoh was considered a god. A living embodiment of Horus and Ra. As such, he was worshipped. He was considered supreme. It’s why the Pharaoh’s built elaborate monuments to themselves and massive tombs we can still see today. It’s why they were buried with all of their riches and many of their servants would also be killed and buried with them so they could continue serving them in the afterlife. Is it any wonder then, when Moses and Aaron first show up, that Pharaoh rejects their demand to release Israel? He doesn’t know God. He doesn’t recognize God. In fact, he considered himself to be the greater god. “But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by releasing Israel? I do not know the Lord, and I will not release Israel!” (Exodus 5:2 NET) And what we see unfold in succeeding chapters is God demonstrating his power and authority over all of creation while utterly humiliating and exposing Pharaoh’s powerlessness in the process.

Who is the Lord? Pharaoh wasn’t the only one asking this question. The people of Israel had forgotten the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. They had forgotten who He was and what He had promised. They too needed to be introduced to Him. They too needed to see His power and authority on display so their faith in Him might be restored. This is why they initially responded to Moses and Aaron the way they did. They didn’t understand Him and they didn’t trust His promises. “And they said to them, “May the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the opinion of Pharaoh and his servants, so that you have given them an excuse to kill us!” (Exodus 5:21 NET)

Who is the Lord? Even Moses was asking this question on some level. He too needed to see God’s power and authority on display so he might believe in the One who had sent him. The One who appeared to Him at the burning bush. The One who would meet him again on Mount Sinai. The One who would talk to him face to face like a friend. Moses himself was on a journey to get to know this God. “Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Lord, why have you caused trouble for this people? Why did you ever send me?” (Exodus 5:22 NET)

So who then is the Lord? Listen to how God describes Himself in His own words. “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for compelled by my strong hand he will release them, and by my strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name ‘the Lord’ I was not known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as resident foreigners. I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. Therefore, tell the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord. I will bring you out from your enslavement to the Egyptians, I will rescue you from the hard labor they impose, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you to myself for a people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from your enslavement to the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob – and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord!’” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭6‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭NET‬‬)

Who is the Lord? It’s the most important question you will ever have to answer. Who is the Lord? Who is God? And do you believe in Him? Have you accepted God’s revelation of Himself in Jesus Christ?

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 10-13

Persecution

Readings for today: Exodus 1-4

Human beings are incredibly resilient creatures. Our ability to not only endure tremendous suffering but actually thrive under such conditions is remarkable. It’s why the church tends to grow under persecution. This was true in the early centuries as the church was just getting started. By most scholarly estimates, the church grew from around 20,000 at the end of the first century to over 20 million by the end of the fourth century, in the face of frequent, widespread persecution. It’s true in the 21st century in places like China or Iran or the Middle East where the church grows underground in the face of significant opposition.

It was also true for the people of Israel. As we turn the page from Genesis to Exodus, from one generation to another, a king rises in Egypt who didn’t know Joseph. A king who had forgotten what God had done through Joseph to save Egypt. And this particular king watches with growing alarm as this former rag-tag group of refugees begins to multiply rapidly. He feels threatened by the growth and responds as most with political power tend to do. He seeks to control the growth. He tries to stem the tide by enslaving God’s people, putting them to work to build massive cities. But the plan backfires because “the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread. As a result the Egyptians loathed the Israelites, and they made the Israelites serve rigorously. They made their lives bitter by hard service with mortar and bricks and by all kinds of service in the fields. Every kind of service the Israelites were required to give was rigorous.” (Exodus‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NET‬‬)

Historians and sociologists struggle to identify and understand the reasons behind the growth. It doesn’t make any sense. Logically, one would think oppression and persecution would shrink a population. The pain and suffering would cause the people to give up. The helplessness and hopelessness and powerlessness would lead to despair. So why did the people of Israel multiply so rapidly? Why did the church grow so quickly? The answer, of course, is God. He not only hears the cries and groaning of His people, He is with them. He remembers them. He understands them. And He gives them the strength and power to endure. “During that long period of time the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites groaned because of the slave labor. They cried out, and their desperate cry because of their slave labor went up to God. God heard their groaning, God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob, God saw the Israelites, and God understood….” (Exodus‬ ‭2‬:‭23‬-‭25‬ ‭NET‬‬)

Readings for tomorrow: No devotionals on Sundays

Sealed

Readings for today: Exodus 37-40

My grandmother was an incredible, but very eccentric lady. She experienced a ton of grief and loss in her life. She lost her first husband, my grandfather, when he was only 38 years old to a wasting neurological disease. She lost one of her sons, my uncle, to a drunk driving accident when he was only 18 years old. She lost her second husband, my step-grandfather, as he recovered from open heart surgery when I was four years old. As a result, she was vulnerable to exploitation. Add in the fact that she was independently wealthy, having inherited a lot of property from her first husband and a lot of valuable stock from one of her aunts, and it made her even more of a target. Sadly, she fell prey to a heretical Christian cult who robbed her of almost everything.

The cult she joined believed the Old Testament should be taken literally. They kept all the feasts and high holy days of the Jewish faith. My grandmother was so serious about following their rituals that she actually commissioned a piece of jewelry that was patterned after the breastplate mentioned in today’s reading from Exodus 39. She had the same precious stones mounted in four rows just like the Old Testament law called for. As a young boy, I remember being struck by how weird it looked on the one hand and how special it was to my grandmother on the other hand.

The high priest wore the breastplate for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, his role was to present the twelve tribes of Israel before the Lord in worship. He was there to represent them. He was there to intercede for them. He was there to make the prescribed sacrifices on their behalf. Just as the names of the tribes of Israel were sealed on his breastplate, the names were also sealed on God’s own heart. God had chosen them among all the people groups on the face of the earth to be His chosen possession. A second reason was to remind the high priest that when he entered the holy places and most holy place, he didn’t go alone. All of Israel was standing there with him on some level and this added significant weight to his responsibility. Finally, and this may be more practical, I imagine as the priest offered the sacrifices, the blood must have spattered all over him. Once his duties were finished and he removed his sacred garments, washing the blood off the precious stones must have reminded him yet again of what God had done to redeem Israel.

In the same way, we have a faithful high priest who lives eternally in the heavens. He is the great high priest. Greater than Aaron or any of his descendants. The Song of Solomon says our names are “sealed on God’s heart.” Isaiah 49:16 says our names are “graven on God’s own hands.” So Jesus offers His own blood to redeem us from our sins. He lives to make intercession for us before His Heavenly Father. And He represents us before the throne of grace. This is why we can rejoice! God has chosen us among all the peoples of the earth to be His treasured possession.

Readings for tomorrow: Leviticus 1-4

Friendship with God

Readings for today: Exodus 33-36

It is not good for human beings to be alone. We were not created to be alone. We don’t do well when we are alone. It’s why solitary confinement in prisons is now considered to be a cruel and unusual punishment. Isolation and loneliness leads to feelings of fear and anxiety, depression and despair. We need to hear another’s voice. We need to feel the touch of another’s hand. We need to know and be known. We need to love and be loved. In particular, we need these things from God.

God spoke to Moses face to face. Just like Adam and Eve and Noah and Abraham before him. Moses enjoyed a deep, intimate relationship with God. In fact, he was even called God’s friend. And like any friendship, it involved knowing and being known. Moses, of course, was already known by God but God wasn’t necessarily known by Moses. Not at first. And this is why Moses asks God to reveal more of Himself to him. “Moses said to the Lord, “Look, you have told me, ‘Lead this people up,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. You said, ‘I know you by name,  and you have also found favor with me.’ Now if I have indeed found favor with you, please teach me your ways, and I will know you, so that I may find favor with you. Now consider that this nation is your people.” (Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Moses longed to know God on a deeper level. Yes, Moses wanted to know God’s ways so he could obey Him but even more, He wanted to know God’s name so he could know Him. And what was God’s response? He gave Moses the gift of His presence. He gave Moses the gift of His rest. Most of all, He shared with Moses the gift of His divine name. Exodus 34:6-7 is one of the most important passages in all Scripture. It represents God’s self-revelation. God making Himself known, not only to Moses, but to all who would come after him. “The Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed: The Lord, the Lord is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth,  maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin.  But he will not leave the guilty  unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ iniquity on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus‬ ‭34‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭CSB) Moses’ experience of God left a mark on him. From this point forward, Moses face would shine with heaven’s glory every time he met with God. In fact, his relationship with God was so deep and intimate that he had to veil his face when he left God’s presence to meet with his people. Think about that! Moses could meet with God face to face but had to cover his face when he met with his own people!

Friendship with God is the antidote to every fear. It is the answer for every anxiety. It provides hope for the hopeless and help for the helpless. It lifts up the fallen. It pulls those who despair out of the pit and miry clay. Friendship with God gives us rest. Freedom. Peace. Joy. It is the constant, abiding experience of a love so deep and profound, it transcends all other loves in this world. Those who walk with God and know the friendship of God radiate the glory of God to those around them. There is nothing more important in life or this world than pursuing a friendship with God.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 37-40

Power of Intercession

Readings for today: Exodus 29-32

Yesterday was Super Bowl Sunday in America. An annual event that draws millions. Watching the game may be the one thing most Americans have in common. However, even the common passion we share for the game of football is not enough to overcome the sharp divisions that plague our nation. Rather than enjoy watching some of the world’s most incredible athletes play at the highest level, we critique and complain. We don’t like the other team. We don’t like the coach or a particular player. It doesn’t matter that we’ve literally never met them. We don’t like the pre-game festivities. We don’t like the half time show. We don’t like the commercials. Even the Jesus one gets torn apart. Everyone and everything gets viewed through a binary, overly simplistic lens. And this is all just scratching the surface of what’s really happening down deep.

Israel wasn’t much different. She complained all the time. Criticized Moses and his leadership repeatedly. Every time things got difficult, she thought about turning back to Egypt. Can you imagine willingly re-submitting yourself to slavery? Craziness! She was impatient. She was easily frustrated. She constantly turned from God to idolatry. Mutiny and rebellion were always lurking below the surface. Is it any surprise then that God thought about wiping them out and starting over? In fact, there are times I wonder if God has the same feelings for us!

Thankfully, I know the answer. He does not. How can I be so sure? Because we have an intercessor greater even than Moses who stands in the throne room of heaven constantly advocating on our behalf. Whereas Moses called on God to remember His faithfulness and protect His own glory and reputation by sparing Israel, Jesus calls on His Heavenly Father to remember His great love for us and the sacrifice He made on our behalf to save us from our sins. When God looks down on us, it is through the eyes of His Eternal Son who gave His life for us. No other intercession is needed.

At the same time, we are invited to serve as intercessors as well. We are encouraged to pray for each other, pray for our loved ones, pray for our neighbors, pray for those with whom we disagree, pray for those who may even be our enemies and ask for God to intervene in their lives. Imagine what could happen if we channeled all the energy we spend complaining and criticizing into intercessory prayer? Perhaps the Lord would relent from His righteous judgment, forgive our sins, and heal our land?

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 33-36

Sanctuary

Readings for today: Exodus 25-28

Sanctuary. It’s a word that conjures up a host of images. A safe place. A sacred place. A place where heaven and earth meet. A place where the eternal breaks into the temporal. A place where we meet face to face with God. The original sanctuary was a garden. A paradise planted by God Himself. Full of beauty and wonder and diversity. God walked with humanity in this Garden in the cool of each day. God met with humanity in this Garden at the end of each day. The garden was a sanctuary because it represented God’s desire to dwell with His people. Tragically, sin corrupted this sanctuary and humanity was exiled. No longer able to commune with God, we tried to create our own sanctuary with the Tower of Babel. We tried to make a name for ourselves. We tried to do life without God. The result was a horror show filled with all kinds of evil and violence and injustice and suffering.

How does God respond? He refuses to leave us without a sanctuary. He calls Moses up a mountain. Gives him the divine blueprints. Commissions him to build a house for God to dwell. It’s a stunning act of grace. God choosing to walk again with His people in the cool of the day. God choosing to meet again with His people at the end of the day. God creating a safe space, a sacred space. A place where heaven will meet earth. A place where the eternal will break into the temporal. A place for us to meet with God face to face. No longer a garden, this new sanctuary will be a tent. A portable building we can break down and take with us no matter where we may go. Over the centuries, this Tabernacle will give way to a Temple. A permanent sanctuary within a fortified city. Tragically, each of these sanctuaries will become corrupt as well and be razed to the ground. Humanity losing their connection to God once again.

In the fullness of time, God sends His Son into the world. The Word of God made flesh and blood and making His dwelling place, His tabernacle, His sanctuary among us. Once again, God walks with us in the cool of the day. Once again, God meets with us at the end of the day. And once again, tragically, humanity attempts to destroy the sanctuary once and for all by hanging Jesus on the cross. Thankfully, God raises His Son from the dead. Resurrecting His sanctuary. Making what was perishable, imperishable. Making what was temporal, eternal. Making what was vulnerable, indestructible. Now we have access to God 24/7. Now can approach Him with grace and confidence. Now we can meet Him face to face with nothing to fear.

Readings for tomorrow: No readings on Sundays

Boundaries

Readings for today: Exodus 22-24

My family has owned farmland in Nebraska for generations. In fact, my great-great-great grandfather was one of the largest landowners in the state at one time. Over the years, the land has been divided up between kids, grandkids, etc. However, I still had the privilege of being able to grow up going back to help with the planting and the harvest. I got to help run cattle in the pasture. I got to brand and feed and get them ready for market. Some of my fondest memories are spending early mornings with my grandfather on the feedlot. After my father died this year, my mom made the decision to sell the land. As we got the land ready for sale, we realized one of our neighbors up there had cattle who knocked down a fence and grazed in our corn land. So we had to work with her on restitution. It reminded me of what we read in Exodus today. “When a man lets a field or vineyard be grazed in, and then allows his animals to go and graze in someone else’s field, he must repay  with the best of his own field or vineyard.” (Exodus‬ ‭22‬:‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Laws establish boundaries. They determine the limits of human behavior. They govern commerce, property, relationships, etc. They are critical to the establishment of a nation. Nations cannot exist without laws. Communities cannot exist without boundaries. One must know where the lines fall so we know where and when we transgress and we need to know the consequences if/when those things happen. Healthy laws and boundaries are critical to creating the conditions under which human beings thrive. Without the rule of law, human beings suffer unimaginable horrors as evil is allowed to run amok. Sadly, I have seen this firsthand in some of the places I travel to every year.

Sometimes Christians can get caught up making a false dichotomy. We set “grace” and “law” in opposition to one another when the Bible lays them side by side. Jesus Himself says, “If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 CSB) Clearly, it’s a “both/and” and not an “either/or.” Does that mean Christians are bound to keep the entirety of the Old Testament law? Not at all. We have to understand the law’s purpose. Some of the laws in the Bible are specific to national Israel. Some of the laws are specific to the worship of Israel. Neither of these are in effect anymore as we don’t live in ancient Israel and Jesus fulfilled the ceremonial laws governing the worship of ancient Israel. What laws does that leave? The moral law. Laws like the Ten Commandments. These are still very much in force and actually reinforced by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

So what boundaries does being a Christian place in your life? What limits do you submit yourself to as a follower of Jesus? How are you seeking to apply the moral force of the Ten Commandments in your life today?

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 25-28

Identity

Readings for today: Exodus 19-21

I have spent countless hours talking to individuals about identity. Some are young people just trying to figure out who they are and who God created them to be. Some are older people who feel like they lost their God-given identity along the way. Some feel like they never found it in the first place. Some define themselves by what they do. Some define themselves by what they own. Some define themselves by who they are connected to either personally or professionally. Some choose markers like ethnicity or sexuality or gender to identify themselves. All of these fall short of the identity God gives us when we place our faith in Him.

Israel was all kind of confused when it came to her identity. Four hundred years of slavery will do that to a people. They had no national identity. No land to call their own. No real history. No real origin story. Nothing to set them apart from the other tribes on the face of the earth. But all that changed when God chose them. All that changed when God delivered them. All that changed when God brought them to His mountain to meet with them face to face. Listen to how He describes them, “You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you will carefully listen to me and keep my covenant, you will be my own possession out of all the peoples, although the whole earth is mine, and you will be my kingdom of priests and my holy nation.” (Exodus‬ ‭19‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Can you imagine how they must have felt hearing those words for the first time? Formerly they were a group of slaves. They had no names. No material possessions. No freedoms. Nothing. Now they are God’s chosen possession out of all the people groups on the face of the earth. They are God’s kingdom of priests, interceding for the entire world. They are God’s holy nation, set apart to reveal His glory. This changes everything for them. Before they were not a people…now they are God’s people. Before they weren’t sure if they were beloved…now they know they are loved. Before they were helpless and hopeless…now they have a hope and a future all because God adopted them into His own family.

Do you know your God-given identity? Do you know you are beloved by your Father in heaven? Do you know He called you and set you apart before the foundations of the world? Do you know He predestined you in love to be adopted as His son or daughter? Do you know you are set apart? Do you know you are part of a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a chosen possession? Do you know you are loved with an everlasting love? Do you know you are a product of God’s amazing grace? Knowing who we are begins when we know “whose” we are. We are God’s people. We are God’s children. We bear God’s image. We are instruments in God’s hands to bring the message of the gospel to the world.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 22-24

Test

Readings for today: Exodus 14-18

Life is full of tests. We test ourselves physically when we go to the gym. We test ourselves mentally when we learn something new. We test ourselves emotionally and psychologically when we address the recurring issues that hold us back. We test ourselves financially when we make a big purchase or start a new business. We stretch ourselves relationally when we meet a new friend or get married or have children. How do you respond to tests? Do you see them as necessary evils to endure? Interruptions to what is an otherwise comfortable life? Do you see them as opportunities to grow? A chance to become more well-rounded and whole as a person?

The people of Israel faced any number of tests on their journey to the Promised Land. And it’s easy to get frustrated with all their complaining. But we have to remember Israel had been enslaved for hundreds of years. Generations had been beaten down. Generations had been whipped and abused and mistreated. Generations suffered from “learned helplessness” and one doesn’t recover from such an experience overnight. Yes, they had thrown off the physical yoke of their oppressor but now God was going to address something much deeper. A slavery of the mind and heart. This is why God takes them to the edge again and again. He is trying to teach them of His sufficiency. His sovereignty. His supremacy. He wants them to know He is trustworthy and true. He wants them to know He is always faithful. He wants them to learn how to depend on Him and believe Him and obey Him.

So He takes them to the worst possible spot on the map. Pins them between the armies of Egypt and the Red Sea. Is this a military blunder on God’s part? Did He make a strategic mistake? Far from it. He uses this moment to teach His people about His omnipotent power. He is more powerful than the most powerful empire on earth. He protects them with a pillar of fire and cloud. His glory is literally their rearguard. He rules all of creation with His mighty hand. He can split the sea with a blast from His nostrils. He delivers them in a way that is undeniably miraculous and, in fact, will form their seminal, collective identity from this point forward. Even today, the nation of Israel draws her strength and national identity from the Exodus story. But God’s not done. He leads them through parched and thirsty lands and miraculously provides water. When they come to the end of their supplies, He provides manna from heaven and quail for meat. Over and over again, they grumble and complain. They fall back into old patterns of thinking and believing. They cry out to Moses, “Have you brought us out here to die?” And over and over again, God provides. God meets their needs. God passes their test.

Where have you put God to the test in your life? This month, my two youngest daughters traveled to the other side of the world. They traveled alone on international flights. They had to navigate airports and immigration. They arrived in a place they had never been to spend the next five or six months with people they had never met. It has not been easy. They’ve had good days and bad days. But they are learning to trust God. They have put Him to the test and He is showing Himself faithful. They are growing in their faith in amazing ways. Don’t be afraid of the tests when they come. Don’t be afraid of the trials you have to endure. Those are the very places where God shows up and shows out.

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 19-21

Hard

Readings for today: Exodus 10-13

Today we come face to face with one of the Bible’s great mysteries. The human heart. And before we begin, we have to lay some groundwork so we can actually understand what’s being communicated here. First of all, the Bible teaches we are all born with a “hardened” heart. A heart that is dead spiritually and therefore unable to respond to God. Second, the Bible teaches there is no such thing as a “free” will. Either our wills are enslaved to sin or they are enslaved to Christ. There is no middle ground. Third, the Bible teaches we are all born with a sinful human nature. A human nature irreparably broken by original sin. And we all act in accordance with our nature and therefore justly deserve the judgment of God.

So what if God chooses to save some and not others? What if God chooses to reinforce the already hardened nature of the human heart in some in order to deliver others? What if God chooses to make His glory known through His judgment as well as His grace? This is the essential truth being taught in the Exodus story. God makes Pharaoh and the Egyptian people “objects of wrath” in order to make Moses and the people of Israel “objects of mercy.” This is what the Apostle Paul argues in Romans 9 and he summarizes things with this statement, “So then, God has mercy on whom He wants to have mercy and He hardens whom He wants to harden.” (Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭18‬ ‭CSB)

I know this runs counter to all we’ve been raised to believe. Those of us living in the United States have been raised on the fundamental principle of fairness. Everyone getting the same chance. Everyone getting an opportunity. God loving everyone equally. We believe these things are essential to principles like justice and righteousness. However, this is not a Biblical view. God’s Kingdom is not a democracy. God’s economy is not the free market. God’s covenant is not up for debate. God chooses to harden whom He wills and He chooses to redeem whom He wills and we simply do not have the standing nor the authority to object. Hopefully, this helps us embrace what God does to Pharaoh in our passage today.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may do these miraculous signs of mine among them…” (Exodus‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

“But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,  and he did not let the Israelites go.” (Exodus‬ ‭10‬:‭20‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

“But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart,  and he was unwilling to let them go.” (Exodus‬ ‭10‬:‭27‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

“Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his land.” (Exodus‬ ‭11‬:‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

God is relentless with this man. He will not let him repent. He will not let him escape judgment. He will not let him give in until his nation lies in ruins. God will not let up until there is no doubt who is God and who is not. This is a different side to God that we aren’t used to. A God who reigns over the affairs of humanity. A God who rules over the universe with a firm hand. A God who is to be feared as much as loved. The point here is clear. God will make His name known. And He chooses to make His name known through “vessels of mercy” (His people) and “vessels of wrath” (not His people). 

So what does this mean for us? Does it mean we should be scared of God? Does it mean we are at the mercy of a God who is arbitrary and capricious? Not at all. In Jesus Christ, God has provided the perfect Passover Lamb! He Himself has become the sacrifice that saves! His blood delivers us from the angel of death! And because we have no idea whom God has chosen, we should go forth and gladly, even boldly, share this good news with the world! 

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 14-18

The Name

Readings for today: Exodus 5-9

Who is God? It’s a question that has haunted the human race from the beginning. Who is God? You see this question reflected in the deep cave paintings that represent some of the earliest records. They depict scenes of worship. You see this question asked over and over again by the patriarchs in Genesis and now Moses in Exodus. Who is God? Who is this God who keeps calling to us? It’s easy to forget that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn’t know much about God. They didn’t know His name. They didn’t know much about His character and nature. They just knew He had chosen them. He had blessed them. He would be with them. In this way, He was not all that different than the other tribal gods who surrounded them.

Perhaps this puts Pharaoh’s initial reaction to God’s demand in context. “Who is the Lord that I should obey him by letting Israel go?  I don’t know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.” (Exodus‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB) The ancient Israelites and ancient Egyptians had no concept of an all-supreme Being. They believed the world was filled with gods and goddesses who demonstrated their power by raising up empires. The stronger the gods, the stronger their people. And among all the people in the ancient world, Egypt was by far the strongest. Therefore her gods must be the greatest. By comparison, Yahweh was the god of slaves. The god of a people who were barely a nation. The god of a group of people descended from a family of wandering Arameans. Why in the world would Pharaoh listen to such a god? Especially when Pharaoh believed himself to be a god?

Believe it or not, the main point of the Book of Exodus is not the deliverance of Israel from Egypt. It is the revelation of the divine name of God. It is the revelation of God’s supremacy over all the other gods and nations on the earth. It is the revelation that Israel’s God is not just one among many but One who rules over all. He is all-powerful and all-knowing. He claims every square inch of the earth as His own. He claims every person on earth as His own. And His plan is to make Himself known through a particular people. A people who have no hope and no future. The most oppressed and powerless people on earth. In this way, He will leave no doubt as to who truly is God and who is not. Listen again to God as He outlines His plan to Moses, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I was not known to them by my name ‘the Lord.’ I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as aliens. Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered  my covenant. Therefore tell the Israelites: I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians and rescue you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and great acts of judgment. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the forced labor of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.” (Exodus‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬-‭8‬ ‭CSB‬‬) This is powerful, heady stuff especially for a people group who had nothing to offer God in return. They were poor. They were powerless. They were weak. They were afraid. They had lived under the tyranny of the Egyptians for four hundred years. There was nothing redeemable about them except that God loved them and God had chosen them and God would make Himself known through them.

In an ancient cultural context, it would have been tempting for the people of Israel to claim God for themselves. To claim exclusive rights to His favor and blessing. This was what the other tribes and nations around them claimed. But as I said above, Yahweh is no tribal deity. When He chooses Israel to be His people, He is not limiting Himself in any way. In fact, the whole point of what’s about to unfold with the plagues and the conflict with Pharaoh is to make it clear to the Egyptians - and by extension, the entire world of the Middle East at the time - who is God and who is not. For God desires all to be saved, come to a knowledge of His truth, and worship His great Name. Every tribe. Every tongue. Every nation on earth. “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand  against Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them.” (Exodus‬ ‭7‬:‭5‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Readings for tomorrow: Exodus 10-13

Ordinary

Readings for today: Exodus 1-4

The Exodus story is one of the most powerful in human history. It is the great national narrative of the Jewish people. It brought hope to millions of African-Americans living under slavery and later, segregation in the Deep South. It inspired some of our greatest music, creating a whole new genre called “negro spirituals” that we continue to sing to this day. Artists, authors, and movie producers have all found it compelling. And it continues to galvanize those who suffer in captivity and bondage around the world.  

It’s easy as we dive in to focus on Moses. His miraculous deliverance at birth. His attempt to deliver his people by murdering an Egyptian. His flight from Egypt. His encounter with God at the burning bush. And then his return back to his people as he takes up the mantle of leadership. Often overlooked is the courageous faith of the ordinary women who make all this possible.   

First, the midwives. Shiphrah and Puah are two of the most underrated heroes in the Bible. Their faithfulness to God placed them in incredible danger and yet they refused to obey Pharaoh’s command. “The midwives, however, feared God  and did not do as the king of Egypt had told them;  they let the boys live.” (Exodus‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Their actions saved who knows how many children in Israel and God honored their faithfulness. “So God was good to the midwives,  and the people multiplied and became very numerous. Since the midwives feared God, he gave them families.” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Second, the older sister. When Moses was born, his mother hid him for three months. But eventually the time came where she had to let him go. She placed him in a little basket-boat on the Nile, probably with the hope that somehow, someway his life would be preserved. His older sister followed the boat as it floated down the river. When she saw Pharaoh’s daughter discover the basket, she immediately ran up to help. Again, this is an incredible act of courage. For all she knew Pharaoh’s daughter would drown her little brother right then and there and perhaps that is exactly what would have happened except for her swift actions. “Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Should I go and call a Hebrew woman who is nursing to nurse the boy for you? ” “Go,” Pharaoh’s daughter told her. So the girl went and called the boy’s mother. Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse him for me, and I will pay your wages.” So the woman took the boy and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses,  “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.” (Exodus‬ ‭2‬:‭7‬-‭10‬ ‭CSB‬‬) Not only does she save Moses but she is able to reunite him with his mother while he is being nursed! It’s an incredible act of faith for such a young girl! 

Third, Pharaoh’s daughter. I’ve always wondered why she rescued Moses from the river? What motivated her to lift him out of the little basket and adopt him as her own? Did she see the same thing in Moses that his mother saw? “The woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son; and she saw that he was beautiful…” (Exodus‬ ‭2‬:‭2‬ ‭CSB) Or did she just take pity on a helpless baby? No matter her motivations, she too was acting courageously. Defying her father’s orders to save this Hebrew child. Though she did not know God, she still was used by God to play a specific role in His salvation plan for His people. 

It’s amazing to think about, isn’t it? The string of events that led to Moses appearing before God at the burning bush? It makes me think about my own life. What simple, yet courageous acts of faith am I being called to engage in that will further the Kingdom of God in this world?

Readings for tomorrow: No readings on Sundays