Holiness and love – in God, in ourselves

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn …

God is calling us to move forward – together (Exodus 17-19).

Exodus 17:1-18:27  -  Worldly people create problems (17:3). Moses asks, ‘What shall I do...?’ (17:4). Indecision asks, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ (17:7). He gives victory (17:8-9,13). Joshua is being equipped for special service - ‘in the ears of Joshua’ (17:14). God’s great concern is that His people move forward together. The work …

The Great Power Of The Lord

Exodus 14:1-15:27  Here, we see “the great power of the Lord” (Exodus 14:31). This leads to worship – “I will sing to the Lord. He has won a glorious victory … The Lord is my strength and my song. He is my Saviour. This is my God and I will praise Him … ” (Exodus 15:1-2). …

Overview Of the Old Testament: Exodus

Exodus 1–7 Things were difficult for Israel yet ‘the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied’ (1:12). Difficult times can be the making of God’s people! Moses sins (2:12). God graciously forgives (Micah 7:18-19) - this is salvation. His sin forgiven, Moses is called to service. He is called by the eternal God, the …

What a wonderful redemption (Travelling Through God’s Word: Exodus, Part One).

Exodus "The people of Israel were being oppressed by the Egyptians", but God was about to do something about this. It would be something wonderful. He was about to bring them out of the land of slavery. Soon, they would be on their way to the land of blessing. The pathway to the promised land …

The wonderful redemption came from God – not from Moses (Travelling Through God’s Word: Exodus, Part Two).

Exodus God was calling Moses to something big, something very special, but, still, Moses had his doubts: "But the people will not believe me." How did God respond to Moses' doubts? Did he dismiss him, and start looking for somebody else? No! What did he do? He continued to speak to Moses. To doubting Moses, …

Even when we’re in the wilderness, there is the wonderful redemption (Travelling Through God’s Word: Exodus, Part Three).

Exodus "Fear not", said Moses, "stand firm and see the salvation that the Lord will work for you today, for the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be still." Ahead of the people of Israel, there would be forty …

From the foot of the cross to the top of the mountain (Travelling Through God’s Word: Exodus, Part Four)

Exodus "Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord descended upon it in fire, and the whole mountain quaked greatly." As we stand at the foot of the mountain, we are filled …

An ethic of redemption (Travelling Through God’s Word, Exodus, Part Five)

Exodus "You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him; you know the heart of a stranger, for you were strangers in Egypt." Before we give an answer to the question, "What are we to do?", we must listen to God's answer to the question, "What has the Lord done for us?" For Israel, there …

The blood, the bread and the table (Travelling through God’s Word: Exodus, Part Six)

Exodus We read about "the blood of the covenant", and we read about "the bread of the Presence on the table." As we read of Israel's worship, our thoughts turn to Jesus, "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). We think of times of blessing, as we have …

The gift of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit (Travelling Through God’s Word, Exodus, Part Seven)

Exodus And the Lord said to Moses, "See, I have called by name Bezalel, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, and with ability, intelligence, knowledge, and craftsmanship... " First, there is the gift of the Spirit of God. Then, there are the gifts of the Spirit …

God’s love is greater than his anger (Travelling Through God’s Word: Exodus, Part Eight)

Exodus The Lord said to Moses, "Go down, for your people have corrupted themselves, turning quickly from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, have worshipped it and sacrificed to it... ." God was not pleased with His people. Did he abandon them? No! He did not. He …

Grace and glory (Travelling Through God’s Word: Exodus, Part Nine)

Exodus "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." What grace and glory, there is here. In grace, the Lord reaches down from heaven to speak to Moses. The glory of the Lord is revealed to Moses. "If thy presence will not go with us, …

The Ten Commandments (1): “… Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:1-3).

To understand the ten commandments, in Exodus 20, we need to listen to the whole story of the exodus. To understand the giving of the law at Mount Sinai, we need to go back to Egypt and discover the mighty act of redemption by which God had brought the people of Israel out of bondage …

The Ten Commandments (2): “Thou shalt not make any graven image … ” (Exodus 20:4-6).

The ten commandments don't begin with "Thou shalt ... ". They begin with a statement concerning who God is - "I am the Lord your God" - and what God has done for his people - "I  ... brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Exodus 20:1). It …

The Ten Commandments (3) – “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain … ” (Exodus 20:7).

We have looked together at the first two commandments - "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" and "Thou shalt not make any graven image." We have focused on two key themes - First, God is the God of our salvation. He is the God who saves us. He does this through his Son, …

The Ten Commandments (4): “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy … ” (Exodus 20:8-11).

In looking together at the first three commandments, we have learned some vitally important lessons about God. First, he is the God of salvation. He saved his people, Israel, from their bondage in Egypt. He has sent Jesus Christ, his Son, to be our Saviour. Second, he is working, within us, to make us more …

The Ten Commandments (5): “Honour your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12).

We move on, now, to the second part of the Ten Commandments. The first four Commandments focus on our relationship with God - no other gods and no graven images, honouring the Lord's Name and the Lord's Day. The other six Commandments emphasize our relationship with others. The first Commandment, in this second section, is …

The Ten Commandments (6): “Thou shalt not…”(Exodus 20:13-17).

"Do not murder. Do not commit adultery. Do not steal. Do not be a false witness against your neighbour. Do not want to have anything your neighbor owns. Do not want to have your neighbor’s house, wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey.” (Exodus 20:13-17). As we read these verses, the word that keeps …

A Spiritual Journey (4): Exodus 3

This is the fourth post in a series of ten posts. Here, we see God’s great plan of salvation, taking a huge step forward. God indicates to Moses that something big is about to happen. The people of Israel are going to be brought set free from their slavery in Egypt. This is just the …

A Spiritual Journey (5): Exodus 20

This is the fifth post in a series of ten posts. Following on from Israel’s deliverance from their Egyptian oppressors. there’s the giving of the law on Mount Sinai. Again, we look beyond the Old Testament story. We look at where the Old Testament story is leading us. It’s leading us to “Jesus Christ.” We …

The School of Discipleship (5): The Lord will be with us, every step of the way.

The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So, I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land …

Responding to God’s Word (2): Ask the Saviour to help you, comfort, strengthen and keep you. He is willing to aid you. He will carry you through.

The Lord said, "My presence shall go with you and I will give you rest" (Exodus 33:14). The Lord's people were in the wilderness, but they were not alone. The Lord was with them, and he was leading them to the land that he had promised to give to them. When we feel like we're …

All The Days Of Our Life

“If you buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing” (Exodus 21:2). In the seventh year, the slave could choose to leave his master. The slave was no longer under a legal requirement to remain in the service of his master. In the …

God is with us – even when things seem to be going from bad to worse!

"The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it" (Exodus 7:5). For the people of Israel, the land of Egypt was their land of oppression. Soon, they would be delivered from their oppressors. God had something better planned for them. …

From Good Friday to Easter Sunday (13): In the redemption of Israel, we see love, eternal love, the love of God.

Exodus 14:10-31 10 When the Israelites saw the king and his army marching against them, they were terrified and cried out to the Lord for help. 11 They said to Moses, “Weren't there any graves in Egypt? Did you have to bring us out here in the desert to die? Look what you have done by bringing us out of …

In the beginning, there is love, eternal love, the love of God.

Easter Vigil: Genesis 1:1-2:4a; Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26; Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13; Psalm 46; Genesis 22:1-18; Psalm 16; Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21; Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18; Isaiah 55:1-11; Isaiah 12:2-6; Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6; Psalm 19; Ezekiel 36:24-28; Psalms 42 and 43; Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 143; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Psalm 98; Romans 6:3-11; Psalm 114; Matthew 28:1-10 In …

Holy Thursday: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-5

‘When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). Beyond the Passover, there is Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins (John 1:29; 1 John1:7). “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).   * What do we mean when we say, …

Christ died for us. Let us live for Him.

Thursday in Holy Week: Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17 Christ died for us. Let us live for Him. Here, we focus attention on two verses which emphasize the importance of being saved by the Lord and going on to live for Him: ‘when I see the blood, I will pass …

May our words point to Jesus Christ, the living Word of God.

Ninth Sunday (or Last Sunday) after the Epiphany (Transfiguration of the Lord) – Exodus 24:12-18; Psalm 2 (or Psalm 99, suggested as an alternative for Ninth Sunday); 2 Peter 1:16-21; Matthew 17:1-9 May our words point to Jesus Christ, the living Word of God. Moses was alone with the Lord - receiving the Word of …

Exodus 25:1-26:37; Mark 4:30-5:20; Psalm 23:1-6

The Lord’s people were in the wilderness. Nevertheless, the Lord’s presence, symbolized by the tabernacle, was with them (Exodus 25-26). Jesus’ disciples were caught in the storm. Nevertheless, the Lord was with them, and He brought peace (Mark 4:35-41). The greatest wilderness, the greatest storm is death itself. Through faith, we can say, “Even though …

Exodus 21:1-22:31; Mark 2:18-3:30; Proverbs 5:1-14

There is a world of difference between legal obedience and Gospel obedience. It is the difference between “old wine” and “new wine” (Mark 2:21-22). The religion of the Pharisees was legalistic. The obedience of Jesus was truly spiritual. These men could not stand Jesus -  “the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the …

Exodus

EXODUS 1:1-2:10  –  Things were difficult for Israel yet ‘the more they were oppressed the more they multiplied’ (12). Difficult times can be the making of God’s people! Pharaoh (and Satan!) is murderously anxious about the growth of God’s people (15-16; John 10:10). God is about to move in saving power – His ‘midwives’ are …

More plagues, more opportunities for repentance

Exodus 9:1-11:10 More plagues, more opportunities for repentance - God was appealing to Pharaoh to change his mind about God and the people of God. The call to repentance was ignored. Pharaoh put on a show of repentance (Exodus 9:27-28; Exodus 10:16-17). - but he didn't mean it: "Pharaoh was stubborn", "the Lord made him …

Teaching from God’s Word – Reed Lessing on Exodus 3

A few years ago,  I read a booklet - "I have heard the Cries of My People: The Exodus for Lent - Daily Devotions by Reed Lessing". I was greatly blessed as I read these notes on God's Word. After looking through the booklet again, I did an internet search for Reed Lessing. He has …

Do this. Don’t do that. Is there more than this?

Do this, Don't do that: Is this all that there is, for us, in the Christian life? Is this all that God is saying to us? In their childhood, many people were taught "the ten commandments." We find them in Exodus 20. In "the ten commandments", there are a whole lot of "Don't do this" …

Receiving strength from the Lord

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Exodus 16:2-15; Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 or Jonah 3:10-4:11; Psalm 145:1-8; Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20:1-16 Receiving strength from the Lord God allows His people to suffer difficulties. Why? - To strengthen our faith (Exodus 15:25; 16:4; Deuteronomy 8:2, 16; 1 Peter 1:6-7). He chastens us, to teach us repentance (Revelation 3:19). Don't …

Two ways of looking at the things that happen to us…

"Israel went out of Egypt" (Psalm 114:1). "The Lord saved Israel" (Exodus 14:30). There are two ways of looking at the things that happen to us. We can say, "This is what I have done." We can say, "This is what the Lord has done for me." Do we look at life on the surface? …

God’s Mercy

"showing mercy to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments" (Exodus 20:6). In there, among the Ten Commandments, there's the word, "mercy": what a wonderful word! What a wonderful thought: God is merciful. He does not look upon us in our sin. He looks upon us in His Son, our Saviour, the …

Be still … Sit still … Stand still …

Following a post in which I quoted from Isaiah 30:7 - "Their strength is to sit still", I was asked for some comment on the rest of the chapter. Here are some comments on Isaiah 30:15-16 - ‘In returning and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none …

When God’s work is done in God’s way, there will be God’s blessing.

Exodus 35:1-36:38 The work of God requires the work of a large number of people, who pool their resources together to see that God's work is done. When there is this willing spirit among God's people, God's work moves forward. This willing spirit comes from the Lord Himself - "The Lord has filled Bezalel with …

God’s Word Of Grace – And His Word Of Warning

Exodus 34:1-35 Moses received the Word from the Lord. He brought God’s Word to the people. With God’s Word of grace – “the Lord, a compassionate and merciful God… ”, there is also His Word of warning – “He never lets the guilty go unpunished… ” (Exodus 34:6-7). Hearing God’s Word of warning, together with …

When our love for the Lord gets very weak

"Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians" (Exodus 14:30). What a mighty deliverance! They had come out of Egypt. Now, they were crossing the Red Sea. We think of what God did for his people, Israel - and we give thanks to him. We think of what he has done for …

Lord, what are we to do when we’re going through a hard time? (Praying Through God’s Word: Exodus)

Exodus 1:1-2:10 Lord, what are we to do when we’re going through a hard time? Hard times can be the breaking of us – or the making of us. We can blame You – or we can trust You. Help us to trust You – to know that You are near, even when it feels …

Beyond our suffering

Times of suffering change the way we look at life. What kind of change does suffering bring to us? Does it make us bitter? or Does it make us better? When we're going through hard times, it is difficult to "always look on the bright side of life." What does suffering do to us? Does …

The Glory Of God

The revelation of God's glory (Exodus 33:22-23)  God's glory is too much for us. Step by step, as we walk with Him, He reveals His glory to us. "Ever-increasing glory" (2 Corinthians 3:18) - This is the way in which the Lord leads us on towards the full revelation of His heavenly and eternal glory.

Be still.

"Their strength is to sit still" (Isaiah 30:7). When I read these words, my thoughts turned to two other verses of Scripture: "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10); "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" (Exodus 14:13). How wonderful it is to know that God is God - and …

When we’re going through hard times

"And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to …

Things seemed to be going so well.

"Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly" (Genesis 47:27). Things seemed to be going so well - but, later on, everything would change. "Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.And he said to …

Things were going to get better!

For the people of Israel, life, in Egypt, was very difficult - "the Egyptians ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves" (Exodus 1:13). Had they been forgotten by God? Had he abandoned them? For the people of Israel, these were very real questions. They were more than questions. They were prayers that would be answered …

Hearing, Believing, Worshipping

"And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped" (Exodus 4:31). They heard. They believed. They worshipped. "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ" (Romans 10:17). "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of …

Learning to wait on the Lord

"Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”"(Exodus 5:22-23). God had promised to deliver his …

Let the Old Testament story lead you to Jesus, our great Saviour.

"When I see the blood, I will pass over you... " This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations" (Exodus 12:13-14). We read these words from the Old Testament, and our thoughts move on, from there, to Jesus' death for us. When …

God is concerned with the little people, not only the big names.

Exodus 6:14-7:24 This list of names emphasizes that God is concerned with the 'little people', and not only the 'big names' like Moses. Gifted individuals have their important place in carrying forward God's purpose. Such individuals are used by God for the blessing of the whole people of God. The forward movement of God's work …

A very ordinary becomes an extraordinary day.

"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" (Exodus 3:1). For Moses, it started off like a very ordinary day - looking after sheep! It turned out to be an …

The escape from Egypt, and the escape to Egypt

In the book of Exodus, we read about Israel's escape from Egypt. In Matthew 2, we read, again, about Egypt, and we read about another escape. This time, it was an escape to Egypt: 'When they (the men who had come from the east to worship Jesus) had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to …

Believe the Gospel. Be changed by the Gospel.

Second Sunday of Easter: Acts 2:14a, 22-32; Psalm 16 or Exodus 15:1-11; Psalm 111; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31 Christ has risen. Believe the Gospel. Be changed by the Gospel. The Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ (John 16:14). ‘No one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit’ (1 Corinthians 12:3). In the preaching …

Rivers of living water

"Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water" (Exodus 15:27).. "On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living …

Moving On With God And For Him

Exodus 2:23-25 The Exodus is more than a departure. It's a deliverance. It's more than a protest against Egypt. It's an answer to prayer. It's more than a social revolution. It's a spiritual revelation of God's love. Exodus 3:1-22 Moses may have been content to remain in the background. God was calling him to step …

The glory of the Lord

"The glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai" (Exodus 24:26). "The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Exodus 40:34-35). From the revelation of God's glory in the Old Testament, we move on to the revelation of God's glory in Jesus Christ: "God, who said, let there be light in the darkness, has …