“The LORD is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” -Exodus 15:2 God had just rescued his people through the Red Sea. Over 400 years of slavery had ended. How did God’s people respond? In song. The church includes many controversies today regarding music, but one thing is clear–our souls were created to worship God with our voices. In Exodus... Read more
“21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.” -Exodus 14:21-22 The Israelites were free, yet pursued. They had suffered pain; now they faced death. They were so close, yet one... Read more
“In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. -Exodus 13:15 Rituals tell stories. Passover portrays the narrative of Israel’s redemption from Egyptian slavery. Still today, Jews celebrate Passover to remember the freedom God provided long ago. Yet God has been providing freedom on many other occasions since that important day. We may not establish a... Read more
“40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the LORD’s divisions left Egypt. 42 Because the LORD kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the LORD for the generations to come.” -Exodus 12:40-42 God promised to free his people. On the night of the first... Read more
“The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.” -Exodus 11:3 Our lives should make God look good. The Egyptians had been watching Moses and the people of Israel through a series of plagues. What they noticed changed their attitude toward their slaves. The people they had beaten and abused were now seen with favor. Why? Ultimately God placed this attitude in the hearts... Read more
3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.'” -Exodus 10:3-4 The success to true leadership is humility. Pharaoh forgot this and lost his power as a result. He had not only enslaved God’s people, he refused the command of God himself. Moses spoke on God’s... Read more
5 The LORD set a time and said, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.” 6 And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. 7 Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go. -Exodus 9:5-7 When God does what he says,... Read more
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” -Exodus 8:1 Why did God give his people freedom? So they could worship him. They were not given liberty to pursue their own self interests, to improve their economic situation, or to avenge their oppressors. God provided freedom to freely worship him. Americans have long enjoyed this privilege of religious freedom.... Read more
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he... Read more
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.” -Exodus 6:1-2 Moses had become discouraged. He had obeyed God, told Pharaoh to let the people go, and the response was no. The Israelites began to complain again Moses, making matters worse. But God was there. And the Lord did... Read more
Holy Writ
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