Exodus 11 English Standard Version (ESV)

A Final Plague Threatened

¹ The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. ² Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” ³ And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.

⁴ So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, ⁵ and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.⁶ There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. ⁷ But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ ⁸ And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger. ⁹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

¹⁰ Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land.

 

REFLECTION

• Read the whole chapter
• In the Biblical world the firstborn son was special. He was expected to guide the family in the next generation, and he was the one through whom the family name would be preserved. Inheritance laws reflect the importance of the firstborn son: he received at least twice the portion of the other sons in the family.
• Thus the death of every firstborn in Egypt was a stunning loss. Only this final devastating plague would at last force Pharaoh to release his slaves.
• The plagues on Egypt may be viewed as a series of increasingly painful punishments. If Pharaoh had relented at any stage, he could have avoided the more serious troubles that followed. Because Pharaoh remained hard, however, the ultimate penalty was finally imposed.
• God’s judgments are often gracious in exactly this way. They become more severe only as we continue to resist Him. When we sense the disciplining hand of God, it’s wise to surrender immediately. Otherwise, God might have to strike what is dearest to us before we respond.
• PRAY: In what areas are you resisting God right now? Ask the Holy Spirit to show you. Pray for a trust and obedience. Sing this hymn “Trust and Obey” slowly as your prayer today.

1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of his word, what a glory he sheds on our way!
   While we do his good will, he abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey.
2. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, but our toil he doth richly repay;
   not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, but is blest if we trust and obey.
3. But we never can prove the delights of his love until all on the altar we lay;
   for the favor he shows, for the joy he bestows, are for them who will trust and obey.
4. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at his feet, or we’ll walk by his side in the way;
   what he says we will do, where he sends we will go; never fear, only trust and obey.

Refrain:       

     Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Exodus 10 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Eighth Plague: Locusts

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, ² and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”

³ So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. ⁴ For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country, ⁵ and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field, ⁶ and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh. ….

⁷ Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” ⁸ So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the Lord your God. But which ones are to go?” ⁹ Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” ¹⁰ But he said to them, “The Lord be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind. ¹¹ No! Go, the men among you, and serve the Lord, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

The Ninth Plague: Darkness

²¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” ²² So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. ²³ They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.²⁴ Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” ²⁵ But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. ²⁶ Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” ²⁷ But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. ²⁸ Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” ²⁹ Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”

 

REFLECTION

• Read this passage, or read the whole chapter if time allows.
• Pharaoh negotiated with Moses three times:

	Pharaoh		Moses
8:25 8:28	sacrifice to your God here in the land. you must not go very far.	8:26	That would not be right.…… three-day journey into the desert ……
10:11	only the men go	10:9	go with our young and old, with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds.
10:24	only leave your flocks and herds behind.	10:25	have sacrifices and burnt offerings

• Pharaoh wanted God’s people to compromise. The world is constantly tempting and enticing us to compromise what God has called us to do. The road to freedom is to bring all we have and offer it to God as our offering of thanksgiving. Daily we can simply, completely and faithfully offer ourselves to God.
• PRAY: “Lord, because of all You have done for me, I present my body and all I have to You as a living sacrifice for this day. I want to be transformed by the renewing of my mind, affirming that Your will for me is good and acceptable and (Romans 12:1-2)”

Exodus 9 English Standard Version (ESV)

 The Seventh Plague: Hail

¹³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. ¹⁴ For this time I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth. ¹⁵ For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. ¹⁶ But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth. ¹⁷ You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go. ¹⁸ Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. ¹⁹ Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’” ²⁰ Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, ²¹ but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

²² Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.” ²³ Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt. ²⁴ There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. ²⁵ The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.²⁶ Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

²⁷ Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. ²⁸ Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God’s thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.” ²⁹ Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. ³⁰ But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.” ³¹ (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud. ³² But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.) ³³ So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth. ³⁴ But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants. ³⁵ So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

 

REFLECTION

• If time permits, read through the whole chapter once. Then re-read the selected portion above.
• In a number places in Exodus the emphasis is on Pharaoh’s choosing to harden his heart and persist in refusing to release the Hebrew people from slavery. There are just as many places or more (e.g. 10:20, 10:27) where it says that God hardens Pharaoh’s heart. Why would God do this?
• In fact, it is Pharaoh’s own decision that he refused to obey God’s command. This is just like the free will to choose God gave to man at creation. Therefore, God hardens Pharaoh’s heart by giving Pharaoh the choice and ability to harden his own heart or to soften it to obey God. This is a route that Pharaoh himself decided to take, regardless of what God did or did not do.
• Sometimes we persist in a certain direction that we sense, again and again, is not wise, and sometimes we have no choice left at all. We are swallowed up in the way we have taken and no longer know how to want out of it. It consumes us.
• PRAY: Do you feel trapped in certain situation and couldn’t get out? Or do you know someone in this situation? Pray for the softening of hardened heart.

Help me to remain faithful with your grace.
Give me a firmness of heart, so different from my hardness of heart.
Soften my judgementalism, and help me to show greater care for all those in my life
especially those most in need of me today.
May the joy of my redemption spill over into my life so I may be truly called “Christian” — a follower of yours.

Exodus 8 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Second Plague: Frogs

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me. ² But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. ³ The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. ⁴ The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”’” ⁵  And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’” ⁶ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. ⁷ But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

⁸ Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”⁹ Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.” ¹⁰ And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God. ¹¹ The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.” ¹² So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. ¹³ And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. ¹⁴ And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

The Third Plague: Gnats

¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’” ¹⁷ And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. ¹⁸ The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. ¹⁹ Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

 

REFLECTION

• If time permits, read through the whole chapter once. Then re-read the selected portion above.
• When Moses showed Pharaoh the authenticating signs God had given him, Egyptian magicians duplicated them. The confrontation between Moses and Egypt’s magicians was a true test of supernatural resources.
• “This is the finger of God!”(v19) This expression refers to something that is obviously marked as coming from God. The magicians of Egypt were in fierce competition with Moses, yet when they failed, they were quick to acknowledge the source of Moses’ power. We may hear it from enemies, atheists, or people of other faiths. Yet when they admit, grudgingly or otherwise, that God is up to something in our lives, the encouragement ought to mean so much more to us. It is the last we would expect them to say.
• PRAY: Write down some words or phrases that describe the power, strength and glory of God. Use these words to worship and praise the Lord.

 

Exodus 7 English Standard Version (ESV)

Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh

¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. ² You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. ³ But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, ⁴ Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. ⁵ The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.” ⁶ Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them. ⁷ Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

⁸ Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” ¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. ¹¹ Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.¹² For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

 

REFLECTION

• Read the passage. For a better picture read the whole chapter.
• God appointed Moses to be His representative to speak to Pharaoh. As weak as Moses felt he was, especially in leadership and eloquent speech, his obedience to God has put him in the position of deity. “I have made you like God to Pharaoh.” (v1) He has a strength and a substance and an authority he never possessed before, even if he didn’t see it.
• When we stumble after God in our humility and ignorance, we often have words and thoughts that were not available to us before. Therefore, when we act in obedience, we no longer act as individuals, but it is God who at work in us to will and act according to his good purpose (Phil. 2:13). To others it may seem like we are not ourselves.
• When has God asked you to do something beyond our natural abilities? Did you obey God? How was the task accomplished?  
• Do you obey God humbly and simply? Or do you have too many agenda and couldn’t follow God single-mindedly? Talk with God about this.

 

Exodus 6 English Standard Version (ESV)

God Promises Deliverance

¹ But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

² God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. ⁴ I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. ⁵ Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. ⁶ Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. ⁷ I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. ⁸ I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” ⁹ Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

¹⁰ So the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” ¹² But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” ¹³ But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

 

REFLECTION

• Read this passage slowly aloud.
• The Israelites were exhausted that they’ve had all they can take. For a long time they might have endured and hung on to every promise that came their way. But nothing changed, and finally they reached a point where they could no longer hope.
• It is at such junctures, when people can absolutely do no more, that a divine breakthrough often occurs. When we are most helpless, we are in a position to receive the most help. God does not chastise us when we become heartsick. He acts in ways that we were too strong-willed and self-reliant to experience before.
• Why would the Israelites’ cruel slavery life cause them to lose all hope such that they couldn’t even stand listening to God’s promises? Why did God want to liberate them from slavery?
• PRAY: Lord, will I be like the Israelites to lose faith in God? Am I living under certain type of slavery, i.e. money, reputation? Holy Spirit, illuminate the deepest part of my heart and free me from the slavery that I am in right now.

Exodus 5 English Standard Version (ESV)

 Making Bricks Without Straw

¹ Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” ² But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.” ³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” ⁴ But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.” ⁵ And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!” ⁶ The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen, ⁷ “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves. ⁸ But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’ ⁹ Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”

¹⁰ So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw. ¹¹ Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’” ¹² So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. ¹³ The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.” ¹⁴ And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”

¹⁵ Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this? ¹⁶ No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.” ¹⁷ But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.’ ¹⁸ Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.” ¹⁹ The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.

 

REFLECTION

• Read the passage. For a better picture read the whole chapter. Imagine you were there, what would your emotions be?
• Moses and Aaron did as God commanded them. They relayed God’s message to Pharaoh, and the result was totally opposite to what they had hoped. Pharaoh made the Israelites work harder and treated them more harshly. The Israelite foremen were savagely beaten by the Egyptian slave drivers. The foremen then appealed to Pharaoh, but were accused as lazy. Therefore, they directed all their anger toward Moses. Moses then turned around the complaint to God that He didn’t really deliver the people.
• Sometimes we might be persecuted for obeying God. Even when God works, we may endure pain, frustration and hardship. Following God doesn’t guarantee a warm reception from those around us. Often God’s mission and message make things worse before they get better because His way contrasts sharply with the way of this world.
• Do you suffer right now because your obedience to God? Are you complaining? To whom? About what?
• PRAY: As you think of the hardship you are going through, allow the Holy Spirit direct your attention to the millions around the world who are living in dire situations under oppression and exploitation. Ask God how might you identify with these suffering people and give them help and support?

Exodus 4 English Standard Version (ESV)

Moses Given Powerful Signs

¹ Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” ² The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” ³ And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. ⁴ But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—⁵ “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”⁶ Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. ⁷ Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. ⁸ “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign. ⁹ If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”

¹⁰ But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.” ¹¹ Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” ¹³ But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.” ¹⁴ Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. ¹⁵ You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. ¹⁶ He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.¹⁷ And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”

 

REFLECTION

• If time permits, it’s best to read through the whole chapter once. Then re-read the selected portion above.
• Moses had a lot of concerns and worries that caused him to be fearful at the thought of God’s task. Several times, he tried to wriggle out of God’s will. He told God that he was afraid that the Israelites wouldn’t listen to him; he claimed he didn’t speak well. Finally Moses decided to just tell the truth – he simply didn’t want to do it. But God graciously resolved every one of his fears and promised to be with him (Immanuel), and to give miracles and wonders when necessary.
• We are often afraid of making mistakes and become fearful and uneasy at those things God is calling us to do. But Scripture demonstrates to us that it is not, in fact, us who are trying to do things alone, but rather it is God at work in and through us. All we need is to follow His guidance and to depend on the courage and faith from Him.
• Is there anything God wants you to do that you are hesitating and resisting?

PRAYER: Read the passage one more time. Put yourself in Moses’ place, feel his hesitation, identify his lack of confidence. Acknowledge to God your weaknesses also your self-confidence. Tell God of this tug-of-war inside. Wait for God’s response.

Exodus 3 English Standard Version (ESV)

The Burning Bush

¹ Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. ³ And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” ⁴ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵ Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

⁷ Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, ⁸ and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁹ And now, behold,the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. ¹⁰ Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”¹¹ But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” ¹² He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

REFLECTION

• If time allows, read the whole chapter. Then read the passage for today.
• Moses is shepherding his father-in-law’s sheep. In the distance he saw a bush in flames, but the bush mysteriously didn’t burn up. He walked closer, perhaps expecting a miracle, only to have a more unique encounter than he ever imagined. He interacted with the living God.
• What has your experience of God been like? When have you felt like you have heard God speaking to you?
• When God asked Moses to remove his sandals from his feet, God was reminding Moses that where God is, that place becomes holy. In addition, in the ancient near east, a servant takes off his shoes to show deep respect to his master.
• God is holy. What difference does that make in your life and how you think about the Holy Spirit in and with you?
• Moses heard from God when he paid attention. Like Moses, we often encounter God when we pay attention to what’s going on around us. Find a quiet place and spend a few moments in utter silence, paying attention to those aspects of your life that you often neglect: people, situations, quiet moments, creation, and so on. As you do this, look for God to interact with.
• PRAY: Ask God to reveal himself to you today in a fresh way, a way that he has never revealed himself before.

 

Exodus 2 English Standard Version (ESV)

Moses Flees to Midian

¹¹ One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people.¹² He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. ¹³ When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” ¹⁴ He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” ¹⁵ When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian. And he sat down by a well.

¹⁶ Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and drew water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. ¹⁷ The shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and saved them, and watered their flock. ¹⁸ When they came home to their father Reuel, he said, “How is it that you have come home so soon today?” ¹⁹ They said, “An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds and even drew water for us and watered the flock.” ²⁰ He said to his daughters, “Then where is he? Why have you left the man? Call him, that he may eat bread.” ²¹ And Moses was content to dwell with the man, and he gave Moses his daughter Zipporah. ²² She gave birth to a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land.”

God Hears Israel’s Groaning

²³ During those many days the king of Egypt died, and the people of Israel groaned because of their slavery and cried out for help. Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. ²⁴ And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. ²⁵ God saw the people of Israel—and God knew.

 

REFLECTION

• If time allows, read the whole chapter. Then read vv11-24 slowly once more.
• Toward the end of the 430 years, God chose Moses to be the leader to deliver His people out of hardship. But, God seemed to take a long time and a convoluted path to shape the soul and destiny of Moses.
• Are you aware of God’s hand in shaping your soul and destiny? What is it? How are you responding?
• Have a conversation with God. Ask the Holy Spirit to help align your feelings and will with those of God’s.
• Read this hymn based on Ps 6:10-12 “God, you are re-arranging my future” by Watchman Nee as a conversation with God. https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/8273

God, You are now rearranging my way

1. God, You are now rearranging my way. All I have built You’re destroying today.
   Those serving faithfully daily decrease. Dishonesty, misunderstandings increase.

My eyes are teary; I can’t see You clearly, As though all Your words aren’t as real as before.
You make me decrease, that You might thus increase, To make Your will sweeter than e’er before.

2. For Your hand stopping I’d almost implore, When I feel I cannot take any more.
   Yet You are God! Oh, how can You give way? Please, Lord, do not give in; wait ’till I obey.
3. If Your good pleasure and will should decree That I must take suff’ring’s yoke upon me,
   Then may my heart’s deepest joy be this thing— Obeying Your will to take the suffering.
4. It seems the price that’s required for Your joy Is that I’m hindered and knocked down by You;
   Therefore I’d welcome Your hindering pull, If thus I could cause Your heart to be joyful.
5. You’ve given chariots to others instead. You have made them thus to ride o’er my head.
   You stretch Your hand out my all now to take, Yet please leave Your stripping hand here for my sake.