260 Devotional: June 19, Exodus 21


Exodus 21 English Standard Version (ESV)

12 “Whoever strikes a man so that he dies shall be put to death. 13 But if he did not lie in wait for him, but God let him fall into his hand, then I will appoint for you a place to which he may flee. 14 But if a man willfully attacks another to kill him by cunning, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die.

15 “Whoever strikes his father or his mother shall be put to death.

16 “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.

17 “Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

18 “When men quarrel and one strikes the other with a stone or with his fist and the man does not die but takes to his bed, 19 then if the man rises again and walks outdoors with his staff, he who struck him shall be clear; only he shall pay for the loss of his time, and shall have him thoroughly healed.

20 “When a man strikes his slave, male or female, with a rod and the slave dies under his hand, he shall be avenged.21 But if the slave survives a day or two, he is not to be avenged, for the slave is his money.

22 “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.

26 “When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. 27 If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.

 

REFLECTION

  • The commandment said, “You shall not murder.” Read this passage with this in mind. Pay attention to the specific examples showing that “You shall respect the life and well-being of others.”
  • The principle of the famous lex talionis – the law demanding an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth – is clear and simple: if someone causes another person serious injury, he is to be punished. In the biblical world feuds were an ever-present possibility. The principle of an eye for an eye was actually seen as an act of mercy, since punishment in the ancient Near East usually exceeded the crime! It is not a law of revenge, but a basis for a judge to make judgment on acts of violence and injustice.
  • Jesus’ elaboration of this law is that, in the Kingdom of God, you are to go beyond revenge and “love your enemy, pray for those persecuting you” (Matt 5:38-42). In His life and death, Christ modeled this for us. The law’s goal is to prevent excessive revenge, but Jesus wants to completely free us from a mentality of revenge. This is far more than what the law requires.
  • PRAY: How easy is it for you to live up to the standard set forth here? What would be toughest for you to adhere to? Name one person who has hurt you, and ask Jesus to give you His forgiveness for that person.

 

260 Devotional: June 18, Exodus 20


Exodus 20 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Ten Commandments

And God spoke all these words, saying,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

“You shall have no other gods before me.

“You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother,that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

15 “You shall not steal.

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

18 Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off 19 and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.”20 Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” 21 The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

 

REFLECTION

  • Read this passage then slowly evaluate my life according to the Ten Commandments.
  • Before God commanded anything of man, He declared who He is and what He did for Israel. It’s important to understand that grace precedes law. God first acts in grace and mercy by delivering the people, and then the people respond in gratitude and thanksgiving by the obeying the commandments. The crossing of the Red Sea comes before the giving of the Ten Commandments.
  • The first four commands are for keeping our relationship with God intact: no worship of other gods, no idolatry, no abuse of God’s holy name, and no abuse of God’s holy Sabbath.
  • The last six commands are for keeping our relationships in the world in which we live intact: honoring parents, honoring others’ lives, honoring marriage, honoring others’ possessions, honoring the truth, and honoring what God gives others to live with and what He gives us to live with.
  • Although the commandments are, with the exception of the fifth, all prohibitive, they are not negative. They speak about love: love of God and love of others.  Jesus once was asked by a lawyer among the Pharisees: which is the greatest commandment? Jesus replied: Loving God and your neighbor (Matt 22:37-40).
  • Spend some time read this passage carefully and meditatively. If you could, use one word or a term to describe each commandment and reflect on its meaning. Thank God for His love in giving us these commands.
  • Ask the Holy Spirit’s help to examine your own life, where you have failed, or in which area you are facing crisis right now. Pray to confess and receive forgiveness of Jesus Christ, and ask for a renewed spirit and abundant power in living out a life of holiness and love.

260 Devotional: June 17, Exodus 19


Exodus 19 English Standard Version (ESV)

 And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.”

When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, 10 the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments11 and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. 12 And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.” 14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people; and they washed their garments. 15 And he said to the people, “Be ready for the third day; do not go near a woman.”

16 On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people in the camp trembled. 17 Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly. 19 And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. 20 The Lord came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.

21 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to look and many of them perish. 22 Also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them.” 23 And Moses said to the Lord, “The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and consecrate it.’”24 And the Lord said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them.” 25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.

 

REFLECTION

  • Read this passage, or read the whole chapter if time allows.
  • God’s display of power at Mount Sinai is later described as a “consuming fire on top of the mountain”(24:17). It was intended to inspire awe and fear, and to communicate something of the holiness of Israel’s God. Only Moses would go up into the thunder and constantly flashing lightning that shrouded the mountaintop.
  • Hebrews 12:18 describes the mountain as “burning with fire…darkness, gloom, and storm.” It was so terrifying that even Moses said, “I am trembling with fear”. (Heb 12:21)
  • While Christians come directly to God through a loving Christ, something important about the nature of God was communicated at Sinai. Hebrews reminds us that we are to “worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:28-29).
  • God told the Israelites to do certain things in preparation to receive His commandments. These rules are to remind the people that God is holy and should not be taken lightly; it emphasizes God’s holiness and majesty (Lev 11:45). How do you get ready for church? How else do you draw near to God?
  • When did you last truly experience the holiness of God? What impact did that have on you?
  • PRAY: Ask God to help you realize God’s holiness, and to come to worship service, other meetings and personal devotions with reverence and humility.

260 Devotional: June 16, Exodus 18


Exodus 18 English Standard Version (ESV)

Jethro’s Advice

Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt. Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home, along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,” Moses went out to meet his father-in-law and bowed down and kissed him. And they asked each other of their welfare and went into the tent.Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had come upon them in the way, and how the Lord had delivered them. And Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the Lord had done to Israel, in that he had delivered them out of the hand of the Egyptians.

10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the Lord, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians. 11 Now I know that the Lord is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people.” 12 And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law before God.

 

REFLECTION

  • Read this passage, or read the whole chapter if time allows.
  • Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came to Sinai to meet Moses. When Moses told him what the Lord had done in Egypt, and how the Lord had saved Israel on their journey to Sinai, Jethro praised God and said, “Now I know that the Lord is greater than all other gods.” Sitting with friends or relatives and simply telling what God has done in our lives is still the best way to share the Lord with others.
  • Why not start the habit of daily journaling. Just write down what you experience during the day, God’s grace, His presence and what He’s been doing in our life. Review them weekly.
  • PRAY: Ask that God will help you to be thankful through the journaling and to be ready to share with others about God.

 

260 Devotional: June 15, Exodus 17


Exodus 17 English Standard Version (ESV)

Water from the Rock

All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the Lord, and camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people quarreled with Moses and said, “Give us water to drink.” And Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” So Moses cried to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Israel Defeats Amalek

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, 16 saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

 

REFLECTION

  • Read this passage, or read the whole chapter if time allows.
  • When Israel entered the territory of vicious Amalekites, there erupted a war. Joshua led the troop to fight while Moses went to the mountain top to appeal to God. When Moses’s tired and dropped his arms, both Aaron and Hur, standing on either side of Moses, held his arms up to pray. The Israelites were greatly encouraged to see Joshua before them in the battle field, and Moses above them on the hill.
  • We also need to uphold the arms of our spiritual leaders. A word of appreciation or encouragement, a prayer on his/her behalf, a random act of kindness, these will all bring great encouragement and renewal of soul to the leaders.
  • Pray: Silent before God, wait for God to bring one or two spiritual leaders into heart. Have I discerned any fatigue, disappointment, heavy burden in them? Pray for them, think of a practical way to encourage, comfort and bless them.

260 Devotional: June 12, Exodus 16


Exodus 16 English Standard Version (ESV)

Bread from Heaven

They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.”

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’” 10 And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud. 11 And the Lord said to Moses,12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13 In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp. 14 And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground. 15 When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’” 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat. 19 And Moses said to them, “Let no one leave any of it over till the morning.” 20 But they did not listen to Moses. Some left part of it till the morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them. 21 Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted.

 

REFLECTION

  • Read the passage aloud. If you prefer, read the whole chapter to get a picture of the complaining that came before this and the obsessive hoarding that came after. Both give us a picture of the neediness of the Israelites at this time.
  • If you were to complain to God right now, what would your complaint be? In what ways, if any, have you been perplexed by God’s response to your complaining? Sometimes we are blind to God’s activity because we are focused on a specific request or expectation of how we want Him to respond. How might God actually have been responding to your complaints?
  • Pray: Ask God to show you how He has provided you with enough, even though you still might wonder.

            Sit in the quiet and feel God’s “enough-ness” in your body. Where do you feel it? In arms that are full? In a quiet mind? In a stomach that feels full? In muscles that work well? If you can really mean it, try delighting in this “enough-ness”.

260 Devotional: June 11, Exodus 15


Exodus 15 English Standard Version (ESV)

 1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD :
       “I will sing to the LORD,
       for he is highly exalted.
       The horse and its rider
       he has hurled into the sea.

 2 The LORD is my strength and my song;
       he has become my salvation.
       He is my God, and I will praise him,
       my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

 3 The LORD is a warrior;
       the LORD is his name.

 4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
       he has hurled into the sea.
       The best of Pharaoh’s officers
       are drowned in the Red Sea.

 5 The deep waters have covered them;
       they sank to the depths like a stone.

 6 “Your right hand, O LORD,
       was majestic in power.
       Your right hand, O LORD,
       shattered the enemy.

 7 In the greatness of your majesty
       you threw down those who opposed you.
       You unleashed your burning anger;
       it consumed them like stubble.

 8 By the blast of your nostrils
       the waters piled up.
       The surging waters stood firm like a wall;
       the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.

 9 “The enemy boasted,
       ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them.
       I will divide the spoils;
       I will gorge myself on them.
       I will draw my sword
       and my hand will destroy them.’

 10 But you blew with your breath,
       and the sea covered them.
       They sank like lead
       in the mighty waters.

 11 “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD ?
       Who is like you—
       majestic in holiness,
       awesome in glory,
       working wonders?

 12 You stretched out your right hand
       and the earth swallowed them.

 13 “In your unfailing love you will lead
       the people you have redeemed.
       In your strength you will guide them
       to your holy dwelling.

 14 The nations will hear and tremble;
       anguish will grip the people of Philistia.

 15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified,
       the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
       the people of Canaan will melt away;

 16 terror and dread will fall upon them.
       By the power of your arm
       they will be as still as a stone—
       until your people pass by, O LORD,
       until the people you bought pass by.

 17 You will bring them in and plant them
       on the mountain of your inheritance—
       the place, O LORD, you made for your dwelling,
       the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established.

 18 The LORD will reign
       for ever and ever.”

 

REFLECTION

  • Read the passage with passion, experiencing this story with emotion. Imagine how you might feel if you had just miraculously escaped certain death or capture?
  • The deliverance stimulated Moses to write this song. The song, which reviewed what God had done, was intended as a teaching tool and instrument of praise and worship of God.
  • Music can serve us in much the same way. The tune of a familiar hymn, or its words recalled during a difficult day, remind us of God’s presence and His power.
  • PRAY: Is there a song in your heart? Choose one of your favorite song about God’s greatness. Sing this song a few times to praise and worship God.

260 Devotional: June 10, Exodus 14


Exodus 14 English Standard Version (ESV)

 

The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night[a] without one coming near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging[b] their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw[c] the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

 

REFLECTION

  • Read this passage, or read the whole chapter if time allows.
  • The wonder at the Red Sea illustrates the fact that salvation consists in what God does, not in what we do. We see and fear and believe (v31), and that’s it.
  • This is what we need to be told whenever we find ourselves facing an advancing enemy with our backs against some impassable sea.
  • Are you facing some emergency situation right now? /Sing this song slowly and ask God to help you to stand firm and be still(vv13,14) and wait for Him to work.

“God will Make a Way” by Don Moen   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xRB4rYpb1w

God will make a way where there seems to be no way;
He works in ways we cannot see, He will make a way for me.
He will be my guide, hold me closely to His side.
With love and strength for each new day, He will make a way, He will make a way.

By a roadway in the wilderness He’ll lead me, and rivers in the desert will I see.
Heaven and earth will fade, But His word will still remain, He will do something new today.

260 Devotional: June 9, Exodus 13


Exodus 13 English Standard Version (ESV)

Consecration of the Firstborn

The Lord said to Moses, “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

11 “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

 

REFLECTION

  • Read this passage, or read the whole chapter if time allows.
  • Israel’s celebration of freedom is closely linked with a fresh sense of Israel’s obligation. Because God spared Israel’s firstborn, all future firstborn would belong to Him!
  • We are given a freedom won at the cost of Christ’s blood. It is appropriate that, since He gave Himself for us, we should give ourselves to Him.
  • When we remember what God has done for us, we are motivated to ask what we can do for God. It is important never to invert this order. We often try to please God in order to obligate Him to us, as if God might “owe” us for our good behaviour. Instead we are already obligated to Him for our salvation! We can express love for the God who saved us, but can never serve as a bribe to win God’s favor.
  • PRAYER: Recount a few things God has done for me. Dwell on the goodness and generosity of God. Offer Him a heart-felt thanksgiving.

260 Devotional: June 8, Exodus 12


Exodus 12 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Passover

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight.

“Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it.Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. ……

21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

28 Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

 

REFLECTION

  • Read this passage, or read the whole chapter if time allows.
  • In this passage, the Lord “passes over” the houses of the Israelites, thus sparing the lives of the firstborn in their households (vv12-13). Passover is the first of several annual religious festivals ordained by God. Passover is Israel’s celebration of freedom: a yearly reminder of the God who exercised His power to tear a slave people from the grip of oppressive masters.
  • However, it’s not enough to think now and then of what God has done for us. We need to set aside regular times to remember. Celebrating God’s work in and for us is as important now as celebrating Passover was and continues to be for the Jewish people.
  • What are the regular celebrations of God’s work that you are observing? How do you celebrate in these occasions?
  • Sunday Worship, cell meetings, etc. are examples for such purpose. How do you prepare for such celebration and what attitude do you bring to these occasions?
  • PRAY: Thank God for freeing you from the grip of sin. Ask God to remind you to always go to Sunday worship or cell meetings, etc. with a great anticipation to celebrate and give thanks to God for His work in you and everyone else.