Checking in...and a bit of news

Hello! It’s been a while since I posted on here. Writing this feels like I’m reconnecting with dear friends, many of whom I have never met but are friends nonetheless.

How have you managed throughout the last few months of this pandemic? I hope you have stayed well and untouched by the nasty Covid-19 virus!

The isolation and social distancing orders have certainly changed the extent to which we have connected with each other physically here in southwest B.C., Canada. However, our modern age of virtual connection has kept us attending church (albeit in our homes), doing Bible studies together (through Zoom etc.), and catching up on friends and family through phone calls, emails, Facebook, and other ways. And isn’t it wonderful that God is not quarantined or in any way limited by this circumstance!

Perhaps this time has been one of catch-up or getting ahead for you. Maybe you have begun or completed a project that was previously a good intention only. That has been the case for me.

I’m happy to announce that a continuation of the story begun in my novel Destiny’s Hands, is now finished and available for purchase.

Just to refresh your memory, Destiny’s Hands is a fictional retelling of Bezalel’s story (the man who God chose to craft the Tabernacle and its worship accessories). The sequel, Under the Cloud, continues the story of the exodus.

Here’s the book description:

“Fifteen-year-old Zamri lives in the shadow of her brilliant brother Bezalel. While he crafts the gold and bronze articles for Tabernacle worship, all she can look forward to is a life of women’s work—work she finds uninteresting and confusing. But no one can keep her from dreaming. She imagines becoming a leader among women like her hero Miriam. That all changes when the dashing Pallu wins her heart.

“Trek through the years of exodus with Zamri as, within the strictures of Israel’s patriarchal society, she grows into mature womanhood. Discover with her how dreams need never die, indeed can come true in the most unlikely ways.”

Under the Cloud is available worldwide in paperback and ebook editions through Amazon.

• Under the Cloud on Amazon.com

• Under the Cloud on Amazon.ca

In case you missed it:

• Destiny’s Hands on Amazon.com

• Destiny’s Hands on Amazon.ca

What has this unusual time meant for you? I’d love to hear. Leave a note in comments, or email me HERE.

Unpopular restraint

Celebration around the Golden Calf - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 32-34; Psalm 28

TO CHEW ON: "…Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them…)." Exodus 32:25

If a royal commission had been struck to get to the bottom of how the golden calf incident could happen, a conclusion like Exodus 32:25 may well have been in the report.

[Restraint means to hold back from acting, proceeding or advancing; to keep in check, repress; to deprive of freedom or liberty; to restrict or limit - Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary.]

People-pleasing, want-to-be-liked Aaron would have found that hard to do. He wasn't the only one. The priest Eli didn't restrain his sons and this brought a sobering judgment on his family and eventually the whole nation (1 Samuel 3:13; 4:15-22). King David was another indulgent parent with at least one of his sons—Adonijah: "And his father had not rebuked him at any time by saying, 'Why have you done so?' " (1 Kings 1:6). Adonijah ended up trying to become king behind his father's back.

In our time, when the trend in parenting (and leadership in general) is to give more freedom than less, a parent or leader who disciplines and enforces restraint needs to be resolute to go against the grain. But the Bible supports parents and leaders in this.

• Discipline is really a manifestation of love - Proverbs 3:12; 13:24.

• Lack of early discipline leads toward destruction - Proverbs 19:18.

• Discipliners (fathers, parents) also need to be disciplined in the way they train their children- Ephesians 6:4.

• Paul tells Timothy that the ideal leader acts "… in humility, correcting those who are in opposition" - 2 Timothy 2:25.

Restraint—self-restraint, parental and leadership enforcement of restraint—may not be fashionable with our society but it is something God values and rewards. Let's take up our courage to buck the trend as we practice restraint in our own lives and teach it to those for whom we're responsible.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me first to restrain myself in thoughts, speech and actions. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 28

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Spirit-filled for arts and crafts

"Bezalel" by James Tissot

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 30-31, Psalm  27

TO CHEW ON: "And I have filled him (Bezalel) with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge and in all manner of workmanship." Exodus 31:3

This passage contains one of the earliest scriptural references to a person being filled with the Spirit of God. The exciting thing is that it’s for work in the arts and crafts.

We tend to look at the gifted artist or craftsperson as someone with a natural gift or talent not needing outside help. No doubt there was some native talent in Bezalel and Oholiab, the men God told Moses to put in charge of constructing the tabernacle and its accessories. But here we find that in addition to any inherent talent they possessed, God imparted to them extraordinary abilities in three areas:

1. Wisdom: Have you read the instructions for building the tabernacle and furnishings? One would certainly need wisdom to know how to interpret and carry them out.

2. Understanding: I am always amazed by reno and fix-it shows on HGTV. Craftsmen like Mike Holmes understand how to solve complicated structural problems from the inside out. The Holy Spirit gave these men that kind of understanding.


3. Workmanship: God imparted Bezalel and Oholiab the skill to actually do the work – to carve the almond blossoms and pomegranates, to cast the rings and the cherubim, to fit the pieces together and overlay them with gold.

 "The Tailor" by James Tissot

I find myself readily asking for the Holy Spirit’s infilling when it comes to “spiritual” things. But doesn’t this passage indicate we can also ask for His infilling when our assignment is to design the centerpieces for the church potluck or the church’s float in the community parade? I know these jobs aren’t as exalted as building the Tabernacle but they are part of our worship, and thus worthy of our best and more than we in ourselves have the natural ability to accomplish.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for this example of Your filling people for work in the arts and crafts. Help me to rely on Your Spirit’s filling for all I do. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 27

MORE:  In 2012 I published the book Destiny's Hands. In it, I imagine and fictionalize Bezalel's life before he got the call to oversee the building of the tabernacle.It's available for purchase.

• Destiny's Hands (Amazon.ca)

• Destiny's Hands (Amazon.com)

Promises never claimed

Israel at Mt. Sinai - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 23:20-35

TO CHEW ON: "'And I will send My fear before you, I will cause confusion among all the people to whom you come and will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.'" Exodus 23:27.

In exchange for obedience and a thoroughness in destroying idol worship in Canaan, God made a covenant with Israel at the foot of Sinai to:

• Lead them with His Angel (the cloud by day, pillar of fire by night) to the land He had promised them (Exodus 23:23).

• Bless their food and water (Exodus 23:25).

• Take sickness away (Exodus 23:25).

• Keep them from miscarrying (Exodus 23:26).

• Cause the people in the land to which they were going to be filled with fear and confusion (Exodus 23:27).

• Drive the inhabitants out before them, though slowly and in manageable amounts (Exodus 23:29,30).

What an exciting future of possibilities God painted for them. And they eagerly signed on:

"So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, 'All the words which the Lord has said we will do'" - Exodus 24:3.

How sad to read then, perhaps a year or so later, the reaction of these same people to the report of the spies Moses had sent out to view Canaan before they began to enter it. The first ones who failed the faith test were ten of the spies themselves. They reported back what they tasted, heard, and saw but without taking into account any part of God's earlier promise. After talking about the land's agricultural wealth the conclusion of ten of the spies was:

"'Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong, the cities fortified and very large …'" - Number 13:28.

When Caleb, one of the two spies who saw things differently, said, "'Let us go up at once and take possession for we are well able to overcome it,'" the others argued him down with negativity, fear and doubt: "'The land … is a land that devours its inhabitants. … and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight'" - Numbers 13: 30-33.

But men, what did God tell you? Just the opposite—that these people are full of fear and confusion over you, not confidence. They are conquerable. Didn't you hear? Didn't you believe?

What a tragic consequence these Israelites were about to suffer. Because of their unbelief, they were doomed to spend forty more years wandering in the wilderness.

Let's remember this tragic example of unbelief next time we're tempted to face a life challenge with fear and negativity. In their places, let's review God's promises and put our faith in Him—not ourselves and what we see.


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to have a long memory for Your promises and the wisdom to apply them to the challenges of my life. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 24

The Bible Project VIDEO: Exodus 19-40 (Torah Series)
 


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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

You shall not covet

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus19-21

TO CHEW ON: "You shall not covet your neighbour's house; you shall not covet your neighbour's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant or his ox or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbour's." Exodus 20:17 ESV

A modern version of this verse might read: You shall not covet your neighbor's magazine cover house, her granite counter tops, or her chef-quality stainless steel kitchen. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, his home theater system, his SUV, or anything else that is your neighbor's.

Think what serious trouble the advertising industry would be in if everyone suddenly started obeying this. For isn't stimulating the desire to possess what we don't have behind most advertising whether in print, online, or TV? 

On the surface the sin of coveting may seem insignificant when compared to the other sins on this list We are tempted to ask, is covetousness—a sin so endemic to our culture we hardly notice it in ourselves or others—really as serious as murder, or stealing, or adultery? It's not even an action, just an attitude.

Yes, it is only an attitude, but what an attitude!

• It whispers to us that what we have is not enough or good enough and plants a seed of dissatisfaction with God and His provision in our lives.

• It can be a gateway sin—the first step down the road to committing a more "serious" sin, such as stealing or adultery.

• Covetousness was the active ingredient in Satan's temptation of Eve (Genesis 3:1-6) and continues to appear first on the ingredient list of temptation through the centuries (James 1:13-15).

What is the best way to overcome covetousness? Perhaps it's not a head-on offensive at all but the oblique defense of distraction and replacement. Today let's  distract our covetous tendencies with an attitude of thankfulness, and replace the list of things we want with the things we have. Instead of covetousness, let's nurture contentment,

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for highlighting the dangerous attitude of covetousness. Help me to detect it and then defeat it with gratitude and contentment. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 23


The Bible Project VIDEO: Exodus 19-40 (Read Scripture Series)



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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Food from God's kitchen

Gathering Manna - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 16-18

TO CHEW ON: "So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over and he who gathered little had no lack." Exodus 16:18

Manna was the daily food for the Israelites that came straight from God's kitchen. It was first delivered one morning a-month-and-a-half after they left Egypt and continued for 40 years until they were on the doorstep of Canaan (Exodus 16:1, 35).

In today's reading we're given some lovely details about this food:
- It was on the ground every morning (except for the Sabbath day).
- It was small, round, as fine as frost (Exodus 16:14).
- It tasted like coriander and honey (Exodus 16:31).
- It melted in the heat (Exodus 16:21).
- It could be prepared in various ways. Our passage mentions baking and boiling (Exodus 16:23).
- It was called "manna" (literally "what?" Exodus 16:31) , referred to as "bread (Exodus 16:15, 22, 29), and compared to "wafers (Exodus 16:31).
- There was always enough for everyone.
- It normally spoiled overnight, smelled bad, and bred worms if saved (Exodus 16:20).
- But the manna gathered on the sixth day for use on the Sabbath kept just fine (Exodus 16:23-24).
- Even more strange, the omer of manna collected as a memorial lasted for years (Exodus 16:33-34).
- Moses and God took obedience to the details of its gathering and use on the Sabbath very seriously (Exodus 16:19-20; 28-29).

Manna is often viewed by scholars and Bible teachers as a symbol of the way God provides for us. My Bible's study notes refer to it this way:

"The food supply comes morning by morning in God's time, according to God's plan. The supply cannot be stored up for future use, except for the Sabbath. It is to be used only as God has specified (vs. 20) a miraculous demonstration of His provision to meet the needs of His people" J. C. Tollett,  New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 98.

It's a great metaphor for God's  provision in so many ways.

• Like manna, God's provision for us so often comes at the time we need it. (Jesus prayed: "… give us this day our daily bread" - Matthew 6:11).

• His provision is also often just enough for our need. I've heard many stories of people getting money in the mail or as a gift in the precise amount needed.

• But it is also under His command. Like the manna didn't keep the rules of spoilage on the sixth day, God can override the laws of time and space when He wants to, stretching oil and meal (1 Kings 17:8-16), multiplying loaves and fishes (John 6:5-13), adapting the manna He sends to our specific need.

• How we handle God's provision for us may also be a test—as we've seen several times this month. Just to review Moses' explanation of this to the Israelites: "And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not" - Deuteronomy 8:2.

- But perhaps the most beautiful comparison of manna as provision comes as we reflect on Jesus and how He is spiritual manna (bread) to us.

•  He is the bread of life (John 6:35,48). He enacted  this when He broke bread with the disciples, telling them:

"Take, eat this is My body" - Mark 14:22.  

He explained what this meant: "I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world”  John 6:48-51.

• There's even a memorial component. As the manna was kept in remembrance, we too remember and celebrate Jesus, the bread of life, every time we take part in the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:24).

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, thank You for Your manna provision for me, materially and spiritually. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 22
This Psalm is prophetic of Jesus' death, a reminder of all that His death mentioned above entailed. This psalm contains this verse, that reminds us that the food He gives in this way is available to all:

 "The poor shall eat and be satisfied; 
Those who seek Him will praise the LORD - Psalm 22:26.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Stand still, be quiet

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus13-15

TO CHEW ON: "The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace (literally: be quiet)." Exodus 14:14

God had led the Israelites into a corner. With the sea in front of them and Pharaoh in pursuit they had three options: surrender to Pharaoh, fight, or trust God.

It's not surprising that the people hurled fear-laced sarcasm and bitter we-told-you-so blame at Moses: "Because there were no graves in Egypt have you taken us to die in the wilderness? Is this not the word we told you in Egypt saying, 'Let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die in the wilderness'" - Exodus 14:11-12.

But neither the Israelites nor the Egyptians had bargained on the intervention of a wonder-working God. Moses' reassuring "Do not be afraid, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord" was backed up with a string of miracles.

First God moved that GPS cloud (see this devo) between them and the enemy. It blocked the Egyptians' sight of Israel while it lit the Israeli side. Then God told Moses to stretch his rod over the sea. This brought up a strong wind and pushed back the waters, creating a path on which the people walked over to the other shore. After the Israelites were across and the Egyptians tried to follow, God caused catastrophe amongst them. Their chariot wheels loosened and when they tried to turn around, the water rushed back and they drowned.

Though our problems and challenges differ from the ones the Israelites faced, I wonder how many times we wouldn't do well to respond to them in the way God instructed Israel: "Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today .... The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace (be quiet)."

Sometimes God needs our grubby fingers off of our circumstances (circumstances that He has engineered - Exodus 14:1-4) so He can accomplish stuff in our lives and the lives of our opponents that will never happen if we try to fix the problem, stir up action, or keep something from happening.


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to have the faith that trusts in You to act on my behalf. School me in the discipline of inaction, patience, waiting for Your solution to my dilemma. Amen. 

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 21

MORE: A mother's meddling fingers

The above is the story of a time when I had the chance to test out the truth of Exodus 14:14.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

One particular day

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 10-12

TO CHEW ON: "And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt." Exodus 12:41

Here was the fulfillment of what God had told Moses would happen (Exodus 3:8,10; 6:6; 7:4). It's comforting to read words like "… at the end of the four hundred and thirty years—on that very same day—it came to pass." Israel's days of slavery in Egypt had a definite ending, a point in time when they were finished.

The Bible speaks of human activities in time as within God's knowledge and control. A phrase that is sometimes used to describe this is "the fullness of time." That's the title of one of the chains of verses in my Thompson Chain Bible. "The fullness of time" is defined as "God's appointed time when everything is ready" - NKJV Thompson Chain Bible, p. 1771.
Some fullness-of-time verses:

• There was a definite moment in time when Joshua and the Israelites had followed all God's instructions to conquer Jericho "…and it happened" (Joshua 6:16, 20).

• John the Baptist preached "The time is fulfilled" (Mark 1:15) just before Jesus arrived on the scene.

• Paul explained Jesus' life on this earth in those terms: "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His son…" Galatians 4:4.

• He also speaks of Jesus' return still to come "… which He will manifest in His own time" - 1 Timothy 6:15.

God doesn't have a fulness of time for only the big theological events of history, but also for our lives. David talks about this in Psalm 139:

"You comprehend my path and my lying down
And are acquainted with all my ways…
You have hedged me behind and before
And laid Your hand on me…
And in Your book they all are written.
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them" - Psalm 139: 5, 15, 16 (emphasis added).

We can trust God with His "fullness of time" for us. Whatever trial we're in of sickness, difficult circumstances, money troubles, family issues, He knows and will help us through them until we come to the very day our trial will pass.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Your knowledge of my times, and how You have brought me through hard stuff in the past. Help me to trust You to bring me through the things I face today. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 20

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Zipporah spirit

Moses, Zipporah and her sisters
by James Tissot

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 4-6

TO CHEW ON: "Then Zipporah took a sharp stone and cut off the foreskin of her son and cast it at Moses' feet, and said, 'Surely you are a husband of blood to me!'" Exodus 4:25


In a curious little side story we read of Moses, his wife Zipporah, and their two sons Gershom and Eliezer on their way to Egypt. But something serious happened to Moses along the way. He was at death's door, having apparently roused God's wrath. Zipporah remedied the situation by circumcising their son.

Male circumcision was the sign of God's covenant. We don't know why Moses omitted doing this when Eliezer was a baby (it was to be done at eight days old - Genesis 17:10-12). Herbert Lockyer, author of  All the Women of the Bible* suggests: "Zipporah as a woman of Midian, did not share the spiritual values of her notable husband who found himself acting against the sacred tradition of Israel. … To keep the peace, Moses compromised with his unbelieving wife and withheld circumcision, the sign of God's covenant, from Eliezer."

However, Zipporah was not gracious about this, as she exclaimed (in abhorrence, anger?) "You are a husband of blood!" It would seem at that point relations between them were so strained, Zipporah and the boys turned around and went home to dad (Jethro) while Moses traveled on alone.

Zipporah appears only one more time in the Bible when she, her sons, and father meet Moses during the Israelites' wanderings (Exodus 18:2-5). After that "She disappears without comment from the history of the Jewish people in which her husband figured so prominently. … Neither as the wife of her husband nor as the mother of her children did she leave behind her a legacy of spiritual riches" - Ibid.

I take this as a cautionary tale. We too can become infected with the Zipporah spirit that would resist spiritual expression, growth, and obedience in our husbands. Rather than doing that, let's support and encourage them in their biblical role as the head of the home (Ephesians 5:23).

PRAYER: Dear God, help me to uphold Your pattern in marriage and in supporting and encouraging my husband in spiritual things. Amen.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 18

The Bible Project VIDEO: Exodus 1-18 (Torah Series)




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*  All the Women of the Bible  by Herbert Lockyer, Zondervan, 1988, one of the Related Resources available for this passage on BibleGateway.com

Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Excuses, excuses

Graphic: gerait / pixabay.com

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 1-3

TO CHEW ON: "But Moses said to God, 'Who am I that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?'" Exodus 3:11

In the Bible we meet many people who are not that different from us.

Today we read a discussion between God and Moses where God gives Moses the job to lead Israel out of Egypt but Moses counters God with excuses at every turn:

Moses: I'm nobody.
God: I will be with you - Exodus 3:11,12.

Moses: The people won't believe that You really sent me.
God: I'll give you supernatural signs - Exodus 4:1-9.

Moses: I'm not a good speaker.
God: I'll be with your tongue - Exodus 4:10-12.

Moses wasn't the only Bible character to make excuses.
When God called Gideon to lead the people in opposing raiding Midianites:
Gideon: My family is small and insignificant.
God: Because I sent you, I will be with you - Judges 6:13-16.

When God called Jeremiah to be His prophet:
Jeremiah: I'm too young.
God: Don't say that; you shall go and you shall speak - Jeremiah 1:6,7.

When God sent Ananias to meet with Saul / Paul:
Ananias:  This job is too dangerous.
God: I know what I'm doing. My plan is way bigger than what you see - Acts 9:13-16.

The sobering thing is that God doesn't put up with excuses forever.
When Moses persisted in arguing with God, God appeared to lose patience and promised to send him a human helper, brother Aaron, who turned out to be a mixed blessing (Exodus 4:14).

As for people in Jesus' parables who had only excuses for the Master, most of them came to a bad end.

When the master returned and asked for an accounting of what his servants had done with what He had given them:
One-talent servant: I didn't do anything because I was afraid of you.
Master: You're lazy. You could have at least done something. Away with him! - Matthew 25:26-30

In the parable of those standing before the Son of Man as judge:
Those on the judge's left: You didn't come to us hungry, naked, sick or in prison.
Son of Man: I was there, as the hungry, naked, sick and imprisoned person you ignored. Away with you! - Matthew 25:41-46.

In the story of the Great Supper invitation, the master of the feast received these RSVPs:
Guest 1: I can't come; I'm too busy with my property.
Guest 2: I can't come; I'm too busy with my work.
Guest 3: I can't come; I'm too busy with my family.
Master of the feast: Their invitations are cancelled.  Invite someone else - Luke 14:16-24.

You and I do well to ask ourselves, what is God asking us to do, and how are we responding? Let's take stock of our lives in this department and stop making excuses and get busy at what He's asking us to do, while we still have the opportunity.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to trust You for help instead of making excuses.

PSALM TO PRAY: Psalm 17

The Bible Project VIDEO: Exodus 1-18 (Read Scripture Series)




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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Intimate

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 33:12-23

TO CHEW ON: "So the Lord said to Moses, 'I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in my sight, and I know you by name.'" Exodus 33:17

Moses was close to God. God was close to Moses. Our reading today shows how intimate they were. Let's take a look at their relationship to discover some of its secrets.


Respectful
God and Moses had conversations. In this one (Exodus 33:1-3, 5), God gave Moses a hard message for the Israelites. Moses' respect for God meant that he didn't try to defend or justify the sins of the people he led. Instead, he relayed all God's hard words and for once the people were grieved and repented.


Intentional
Moses made his own little tent "tabernacle" before the elaborate one that God designed ever existed. It was "outside the camp," away from the hustle and bustle, the commerce and labor, the interruptions and emergencies of everyday life. There God met him in a visible way (Exodus 33:9-10) and "...spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks to his friend" (Exodus 33:11).


Transparent
Moses felt weighed own by the burden of leadership and asked God to send someone to work alongside him. I wonder if he was surprised by God's answer to his request: "My Presence will go with you and I will give you rest."

Expressive
In response to God's promise of Presence, Moses pledged to keep God's people separate—a people to Him alone (Exodus 33:16). God replied by reassuring Moses of their special relationship: "I know you by name."


Intimate
Finally Moses asked for God for an actual sensory experience of Him: "Please show me Your glory" (Exodus 33:18). God gave him a visual glimpse of His receding presence (Exodus 33:20-23).

Do we want to be intimate with God like that? If we do, let's examine our lives for the characteristics of intimate relationships found in Moses' friendship with God.

• Are we respectful of what He says, or do we argue and justify ourselves to Him?

• Are we intentional about setting aside a time and meeting Him there?

• When we meet, are we transparent? Do we bare our hearts? Are we honest about our fears and insecurities? Do we listen for God's (sometimes surprising) answers?

• Are we expressive? Do we tell God how much we love Him? Do we pray, praise, and worship using our voices (not saying the words only in our heads)?

• Do we want more intimacy? Do we keep pressing in?

PRAYER: Dear God, I love this description of Your relationship with Moses. Please show me where I can improve my relationship with You. I want to you say of me, "I know you by name." Amen.

MORE: Intimate with Jesus

"When once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely, we never need sympathy, we can pour out all the time without being pathetic The saint who is intimate with Jesus will never leave impressions of himself, but only the impression that Jesus is having unhindered way, because the last abyss of his nature has been satisfied by Jesus. The only impression left by such a life is that of the strong calm sanity that Our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him" - Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, January 7 reading.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A sword separating families

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 32:19-35

TO CHEW ON: "And he said to them, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel, "Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from the entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbour."'
 
So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day." Exodus 32:27-28


We are all no doubt familiar with the imagery of God's Word as a sword. Hebrews 4:12 tells how it cuts into and exposes us to ourselves:

"For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it active, operative, energizing and effective]; it is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life (soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the deepest parts of our nature] exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart" - Amplified

God's words also cut in other ways. In our story today, God commanded the loyal Levites to kill their idol-worshiping family members, neighbours, and friends. What a gruesome, wrenching, horrible day that must have been—humanly speaking at least.

The power of faith to divide families should not surprise us. We have all heard of belief traditions in which, if one defects to another faith, that one is no longer considered a family member but an outcast. And such cutting apart will be characteristic of the end times. Jesus prophesied that children would betray parents and parents children because of faith in Him (Matthew 10:21-22, Mark 13:12-13).

If faith in Jesus has cut your family apart, know that it's not an unusual thing—though no less painful because it's common. A comfort for people of faith in such families is 1 Corinthians 7:14 which speaks of an unbelieving spouse being sanctified by the believer.

[Sanctified - hagliazo  - means: 1) To render or acknowledge or to be venerable or hallow; 2) To separate from profane things and dedicate to God a.) consecrate things to God, b.) consecrate people to God; 3) To purify.]

Can we claim this promise for other family members as well? I think so. I don't believe "sanctified" means they have salvation per se. Whether or not to believe in Jesus is a decision each person makes for him- or herself. But I do believe it means that they are marked as God's own, and consecrated or set apart for Him. We continue to pray and believe that in due course, He will draw them to Himself.

PRAYER: Dear God, it is painful to think that members of my family could be eternally separated from You. Please draw them to You. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Second-chance Aaron

Worshiping the Golden Calf - Artist unknown

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 32:1-18

TO CHEW ON: "And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool and made a moulded calf. Then they said, 'This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt.' " Exodus 32:4


The difference between the brothers Moses and Aaron shows up in stark contrast in the incidents of the exodus. While Moses repeatedly stood firm against the multitude, his older brother Aaron was more of a people pleaser.

In our story today, he offered not a whisper of resistance to the people's demand for a new god. In fact, the calf statue seems to have been his idea. (The irony is that even as this was playing out, God was dictating to Moses the details of Aaron's priestly uniform - Exodus 28:1-12.)

Another time when Aaron and Miriam insisted that they were God's mouthpieces as much as Moses was, God struck Miriam with leprosy but spared Aaron. Some commenters suggest this was because she was the instigator and Aaron the influenced.

Still, God never put Aaron aside but continued to use him despite his character flaws and failures. When the Levite Korah questioned Aaron's high priestly position, God confirmed His choice of Aaron with censer fire that did not kill and a budding rod (Numbers 16 & 17).

We can take encouragement from Aaron's life. Even if, like him, we've blown it, with God there are second chances—though there may also be consequences to pay (in the Golden Calf incident, thousands died - Exodus 32:28; Miriam and Aaron's rebellion led to Miriam getting leprosy - Numbers 12:10-16).

Asaph's psalm does a good job of describing our God of second, third, and fourth chances:

"But He, being full of compassion,
forgave their iniquity,
And did not destroy them.
Yes, many a time He turned His anger away,
And did not stir up all His wrath;
For He remembered that they were but flesh,
A breath that passes away and does not come again." - Psalm 78:38,39.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for mercy toward my weaknesses and grace in forgiving sins and giving me more than one chance. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

A warning for our mouths

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 20:1-17


TO CHEW ON: "You shall not take the name the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain." Exodus 20:7

In our culture where oaths and minced oaths [expressions based on profane or taboo terms that have been altered to reduce the objectionable characteristics of them] flow as freely as water, it is a good thing to remind ourselves of how serious it is to "take God's name in vain."

But what exactly does that mean? Various Bible translations and paraphrases express it as:
"misuse" God's name (NLT, NIV 1984).
"use the name of the Lord your God carelessly" (God's Word 1985).
"idly utter" (Douay Rheims).
"You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is lightly or frivolously, or profanely]" (Amplified).
"No using the name of God your God in curses or silly banter" (Message).

Bible commenters agree that this means we are not to use God's name
- to swear falsely as in undergirding a lie.
- to swear as a means of enforcing acts of witchcraft and conjuring.
- to swear trivially as in using God's name lightly during everyday conversation.


I like how Matthew Henry places this commandment in its context of number three in the first four that deal with our duty to God:

• Commandment One: We are to worship God and Him alone.
• Commandment Two: Our worship is to be spiritual and not given to images, pictures, superstitions or human inventions for God. 
• Commandment Three: Our worship is to be serious and reverent. 
• Commandment Four: One day in seven us to be allotted for worship.

Today I feel warned about the seriousness of loose speech. Even minced oaths like gosh, gee, geez, golly, cripes, etc. have no place in the daily speech of one who is determined not to take God's name in vain.


PRAYER: Dear God, please grow in me true respect for You—such respect and reverence that avoids any shade of disrespect and vain misuse of Your name. Amen.


MORE: More on minced oaths

"As blood-bought children of God we should be very thoughtful about the words that we use, and very careful in our choice of words. This is especially true at times of surprise or amazement or sudden pain or disappointment when we tend to burst out with an exclamatory word or comment. Those of the world blurt out all kinds of inappropriate words, not giving much thought to what they are really saying. All such careless speech and profane cursing should find no place on the lips of a redeemed saint: "Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips" (Psalm 141:3)...."

The article goes on to name a variety of minced oaths and explain their origins. Read all of "Minced Oaths."

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible,
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Taking advice

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 18:1-27

TO CHEW ON: “So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” Exodus 18:14

It is interesting to watch Moses’ interactions with Jethro, this in-law parent. Gone is the authoritative, often slightly annoyed and irritated-appearing leader. Toward his father-in-law Moses is all congenial hospitality.

He goes out to meet him and welcomes him along with Moses’ wife and sons. He tells the older man the good news of what has occurred in Egypt and at the Red Sea. He summons Aaron and the elders to break bread with them (Interestingly, very little mention is made of Moses’ wife. Hmm.)

The next day Moses goes to his post as lawyer, judge, and jury of the peoples’ disputes and quarrels. Jethro watches as from light to dark the line of people slow-snakes past Moses. At the end of the day Jethro gives Moses a bit of good advice—to share the load of responsibility for judging with his leaders (Exodus 18:14-23).

I love that this advice comes from a family member, an in-law no less. Sometimes we’re blind to a situation and its solution. It’s then that often a family member, who loves us and has our best interest at heart, but also isn’t intimidated by us, the success we’ve achieved or our position, can open his or her mouth with good, common sense advice. It’s one of the benefits of families and parents (both natural and acquired).

Are we open to the observations and advice of parents? Maybe, like Moses (Exodus 18:24), we should be.

PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for my family. Though my parents are no longer alive to give me advice, I can still often sense how they would respond to a situation. Help me to be a wise and courageous parent and parent-in-law. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Just a little disobedience

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 16:17-36

"Gathering Manna" by James Tissot

TO CHEW ON: “Notwithstanding, they did not heed Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank. And Moses was angry with them.” Exodus 16:20

When I read this part of Israel’s story I feel in very familiar territory. That’s because the book I wrote some years ago fictionalizes these very scenes. Today I’m going to share how I handled this manna episode in Destiny’s Hands.

A little set-up:
The character through whose eyes we see the action is Bezalel (the man who later became the chief artisan for the tabernacle and temple). He is a young man of 19 in our story, living with his family Grandfather Hur, father Uri (both Bible characters), mother Noemi and younger sister, 14-year-old Zamri (both fictional characters).

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“Zamri, it’s time to get up. The sun is already warm and you still haven’t gone for the manna.” Noemi’s voice was urgent.

From behind the tent partition, Bezalel heard Zamri groan and mutter, “I don’t have to. I collected extra yesterday.”

A minute later, Bezalel heard his mother exclaim, “Oh no! This is
awful!”

As he pulled on his tunic and tied his robe around him, Bezalel detected a smell of decay and rottenness. He went over to the basket of yesterday’s manna, looked inside, then drew back, repulsed. The food that had been deliciously edible the day before now stank and was crawling with maggots. It was disgusting.

Hur, hearing the fuss inside the tent, came in to see what it was about.

“It’s yesterday’s manna,” said Noemi. “Zamri collected extra without telling us. Today it smells and is full of worms.”

Zamri was up by now, fully awakened by everyone’s reaction to what she’d done.

“Didn’t you hear Moses’ command?” Hur asked. “We are to collect only enough for each day, no more.”

“My friends did it too,” said Zamri. “We wanted to sleep today.”

“Well, we’d better get out there now,” said Noemi. “The sun is already high in the sky. You know how the heat melts it.”

“I’ll help,” said Bezalel. He dumped the spoiled manna outside the
tent, but the odor lingered on the basket, so he left it outside and found another. Then he joined Noemi and the other manna-gatherers already sweating in the warm morning sun.

...(later)

Shortly Uri came back from tending the animals and the family sat down to eat. After everyone was satisfied, Hur announced, “I’m going to the gathering place to watch Moses judge the people. Uri, Bezalel, I think you should join me.”

When they arrived at the area that served as the camp’s meeting place, it was indeed as Hur had said. The queue of people waiting to speak to Moses stretched through the center of the natural amphitheater and beyond, past several clusters of tents. The three found a spot with other onlookers where they could hear and watch the proceedings.

People came with a variety of matters.

One man complained that a neighbor was making advances toward his wife. Others brought charges of theft, trespass, and annoying, noisy neighbors. “My neighbor’s extra manna smells so terrible we can’t sleep,” said a man who had just reached Moses.

Aaron, who sat beside Moses and did most of the speaking, answered.“You bother Moses with a small matter like that? Just ask your neighbor to take it away…”

But Moses flashed Aaron a quick frown and broke in. “This may seem like a small matter, but it isn’t. Is your neighbor here?”

When the complainant pointed out the man, Moses spoke to him in a surprisingly harsh tone. “I told you—in fact, I made it very clear—that no one is to keep any of the manna until morning. What about that command do you not understand? Collect enough for one day and one day only.”

Looking around at the people gathered, Moses proclaimed to everyone, “People, listen to what God says and obey Him for a change. Why do you keep cutting corners and not doing exactly as He says?”

Bezalel was surprised at Moses’ reaction. Was disobedience in such a small thing that big of a problem? It seemed that Yahweh demanded compliance down to the last detail. He also felt a wave of relief. It was a good thing their day-old manna matter had been dealt with this morning and within their tent. But what about other things in which Moses judged the people?

Excerpts from Destiny’s Hands, pp. 96-100

PRAYER: Dear Father, may my obedience to You be an outworking of my  respect for Your wisdom in all things. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Obedience Training

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 16:1-16

TO CHEW ON: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day that I may test them whether they will walk in My law or not.’” Exodus 16:4

Have you ever raised a stubborn child, where the smallest request ended in a battle of wills? “Eat your vegetables.” “No!” “Brush your teeth.” “No!” “Buckle your seat belt.” “No!” “Stop hitting your sister.” POW!

Sometimes such battles can seem silly. Why press a child to tears for victory over a few peas or a bedtime with clean teeth? Yet the responsible parent knows that disobedience in such small things is a symptom of a deeper attitude of rebellion toward authority. When we ignore it in our children, we run the risk of them growing into rebellious adults.

In a way the Israelites were like children. They were untrained in the ways of freedom. They had recently broken free from the grip of generations of slavery in Egypt. Whether their new attitude of complaining and insolence was a pendulum swing as far from slavery as they could get (now we can do as we please!), or just the natural response of human nature to tough conditions, we don’t know. But God sensed their need for training and He started small, with basic, easy-to-follow directions about gathering food (Exodus 16:4,5).

God’s explanation to Moses of why He made such rules: “‘That I may test them.'”

[Test - nasah - To put to the test, to try, to prove, tempt. The basic idea is to put someone to the test to see how he will respond. - Dick Mills, Word Wealth, New Spirit-Filled Bible, p. 747.]

Predictably, perhaps, some failed this test by trying to keep manna overnight (Exodus 16:20), and failing to gather extra on the day before Sabbath, then finding no supply on Sabbath morning (Exodus 16:27).

On the flip side of this matter, Jesus taught that those obedient and faithful in small things would be rewarded with greater responsibility (Matthew 25:21,23).

Where do we sit in this continuum of rebellion to obedience (and qualification for promotion)? What tests are we facing? Are we passing those tests? Are we aware of what our acts of insolence and disobedience to the things of God say about our maturity and fitness for the responsibilities we have now, let alone greater responsibility?

PRAYER: Dear Father, please give me insight into how the mundane activities and attitudes of life are spiritual tests. Help me to grow in obedience. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Three thirsty days is a long time

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Exodus 15:6-27

TO CHEW ON: "And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. … And the people complained against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?'" Exodus 15:22,24

The Israelites had just experienced their most stunning victory—not through their own skill but through miracles straight from God. Even uptight Moses burst into song and matriarch Miriam led the women in a victory dance. But now, only three days later, there is complaining again.

For us, reading these stories, the Israelites' mood changes seem mercurial. They go from rejoicing to grumbling in four verses! Before we're too hard on them, though let's consider their situation.

They are in unfamiliar territory, walking in desert heat, sleeping in desert cold. And they're rapidly running out of the one essential that will keep them alive—water. Three days is a long time to be thirsty. Then, when they do find water, it's bitter. And so they grumble.

I ask myself, if I were in their shoes, would I act any differently?

The Israelites' desert experience demanded that the people mature in trusting God. It stretched them to look past how things appeared in the moment and see the situation with the eyes of faith. They were constantly challenged to remember how God had helped them in the past. Then they needed to apply that memory to current conditions.

"God knows exactly when to withhold or to grant us any visible sign of encouragement. How wonderful it is when we will trust Him in either case! Yet it is better when all visible evidence that He is remembering us is withheld. He wants us to realize that His word—His promise of remembering us—is more real and dependable than any evidence our sense may reveal. It is good when He sends the visible evidence, but we appreciate it even more after we have trusted Him without it" - Charles Gallaudet Trumbull, quoted in Streams in the Desert by L. B. Cowman - January 24th reading.

I too can go from high to low in a matter of days—hours! And so I too have lots of room for stretching and growth in the living-by-faith department. What about you?

PRAYER:  Dear God, I see myself reflected in these Israelites. Help me to get my eyes off circumstances and keep them on You and Your history and promises. Amen.

Streams in the Desert - 366 Daily Devotional Readings by Cowman

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Protection

Image: Pixabay

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 14:19-15:5

TO CHEW ON: “… and the pillar of cloud went before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one and it gave light by night to the other so that the one did not come near the other all that night.” Exodus 14:19,20

When there was absolutely no human escape from the fast-approaching Egyptian army, God showed His hand. The cloud that had gone before the Israelites to guide them now parked itself between them and the Egyptians. In this way God bought hours and hours of time for the great multitude to cross the dried sea bed - Exodus 14:21,22.

There are other times in the Bible when God interposed Himself between His people and trouble. Some means He used:

• Paralysing fear

Back in Genesis at the beginning of the nation, God put fear in the people that had dealings with the sons of Jacob so that they didn’t get hassled - Genesis 35:5.

Again when Israel was poised on the brink of Canaan, spies who hid in Rahab’s house heard from her how terrified the peple living on the west of the Jordan River were of the Israelites - Joshua 2:11.

• A heavenly army

Elisha prayed for his servant to see a heavenly guard protecting them from the Syrian army - 2 Kings 6:17.

• Blindness

During the same incident above, God struck the Syrian soldiers with blindness so they were at Elisha’s mercy - 2 Kings 6:18.

• Protection

God protected the returning exiles during their long trek from Babylon to Israel - Ezra 8:31. Perhaps you’ve prayed for a “hedge of protection.” Are you aware that when you ask that you are using an expression coined by Satan (Job 1:10)?

• Closed lion mouths

When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, God’s angel closed their mouths - Daniel 6:22.

We get the picture, don’t we? God overcame the most daunting foes in whatever way suited the situation. And the result was two-fold: God’s people were spared and God was worshiped and lifted up: Exodus 15:1-5; Joshua 2:11b, Ezra 8:35; Daniel 6:26,27.

Let’s similarly keep trusting God for His care and protection. When we get it, let’s not attribute it to luck or coincidence but give Him glory.

PRAYER: Dear Father, I’m sure I don’t realize the extent to which You protect me daily. Thank You! Help me to be ever mindful of Your protecting and keeping hand in my circumstances, and to give You the credit. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

When the enemy is nipping at your heels

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 14:1-18

TO CHEW ON: “The LORD will fight for you and you shall hold your peace.” - Exodus 14:14

“The LORD will fight for you and you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:14 NIV

Even read from the easy chair of hindsight, the incident in today’s passage is riveting. Can you imagine living it? Yet I believe some of us are in the middle of similar things.

When we’re in the thick of our plot of trouble with the ending still uncertain (to us, not to God) it’s easy to panic. So today, let’s look at this story to see how God was at work here with a view to discovering how He might be at work in our story as well.

• God set things up

God directed Moses to lead the Israelites into a location from which there was no natural way to escape a rear pursuit. Then Moses told of Pharaoh’s change of mind and how he came after them. He interpreted it as God hardening Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 14:1-4).  It looks like a setup to me.

For us too, God’s ways involve a lot of little and big setups.

• The Israelites weren’t consulted

God told Moses what He was going to do. Whether Moses got this insight before the Egyptians appeared on the horizon, or when they were already within sight we don’t know. At any rate, he had a basis for relief. But the multitude of weary travelers didn’t have a clue what was up. Their emotions careened through fear, desperation, anger, blame, resignation over inevitable death (Exodus 14:9-12).

Even though God is in our circumstances doesn’t mean we won’t live through times of stress. We don't know what's going on and we don't like uncertainty.

• Moses told them to look at God, not circumstances

Moses encouraged the people with affirmations about God and His ability to accomplish things for them. He told them the Egyptians would not enter their lives again after this and that God would fight for them, and they didn’t have to do anything (Exodus 14:13,14).
  
We too need to focus our attention on God, not our troubles. If we truly had confidence in Him and took our hands off the situation, maybe it would be become less complicated as we got out of His way and allowed Him to work.

• There came a time to stop praying and start doing

Though the Israelites didn’t have to get involved in hand-to-hand combat with the Egyptians, there was something they needed to do. God spoke to Moses rather sharply, telling him it was time to stop praying and start moving this crowd across the sea (Exodus 14:15,16).

There is also a time for us to take the next step.

• God’s purposes were bigger than the incident

God told Moses His purpose behind this frightening encounter: “So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD…” - Exodus 14:17,18. 

When God works in our lives, He is also out to accomplish big-picture purposes that we may have no idea about.


Let’s continue walking with Him through our troubles in faithfulness and trust.


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to trust You, especially when I’m in circumstances that threaten, frighten, and challenge me. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.