January 16 - Exodus 13-15
Every time I read the account of the exodus from Egypt my heart is encouraged by the power and provision of God for His people. He wants them to see His power and have their faith increased, and He wants the Egyptians to see his power and begin to have faith in Him. Which of those two groups are you in today?
After having to kill the firstborn in Egypt to secure the release of the Israelites, God does not want them to forget what has happened, so He declares the firstborn of Israel to be special. Each one is to be consecrated to Him in memory of the Passover in Egypt, when they were saved from the destroyer. Now, God wants the Israelites to remember Him each time they see a firstborn. If we add this to all of the other ways God wants us to remember Him, we see that He wants us to be constantly reminded of His goodness and grace.
When He led the Israelites out of Egypt, He did not lead them in the shortest way. In fact, He led them in the most difficult way. Then, he sent Pharaoh after them one last time, so His plan to prove Himself Lord of Lords would be complete. Now it would take another miracle to deliver the former slaves. They would experience God fighting for them even before they faced the enemies in the wilderness. They would see the completeness of God's victory over Egypt. However, it was not easy. They were afraid. It took the faith of Moses standing strong, and his encouragement to keep them from going back. In the end they sang the praises of God along with Moses because they saw two million people walk across the Red Sea on dry ground, and they saw the entire Egyptian army covered by the waters. It did not come before all of the Egyptian soldiers knew that God was fighting for Israel, and He is the All-Powerful Only God.
It is the same way today as we are called to trust Him for the big things and the small things of life. Only God can save a soul. That is the greatest miracle like the crossing of the Red Sea. Only God can supply your everyday needs like the miracle of the water at Marah. If you trust Him, He will bring you to Elim where there are twelve wells of water and palm trees, too. The problem for most people is that we begin to worry and complain, and we stop trusting before God can meet our needs. Then, we end up having those needs met in an inferior way. It is always best to let God do the fighting for us and the providing for us. To see this done we must walk closely with Him so we can hear His voice and follow His commands as Moses did.
My favorite part of the whole passage is when God tells Moses in chapter 14, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward." Is there any question that God has better things for us ahead if we will trust Him? Why do we keep crying out in fear. Trust Him and move forward. Don't think about going back when God has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey. Keep going forward, because you won't reach it by standing still or going back.
After having to kill the firstborn in Egypt to secure the release of the Israelites, God does not want them to forget what has happened, so He declares the firstborn of Israel to be special. Each one is to be consecrated to Him in memory of the Passover in Egypt, when they were saved from the destroyer. Now, God wants the Israelites to remember Him each time they see a firstborn. If we add this to all of the other ways God wants us to remember Him, we see that He wants us to be constantly reminded of His goodness and grace.
When He led the Israelites out of Egypt, He did not lead them in the shortest way. In fact, He led them in the most difficult way. Then, he sent Pharaoh after them one last time, so His plan to prove Himself Lord of Lords would be complete. Now it would take another miracle to deliver the former slaves. They would experience God fighting for them even before they faced the enemies in the wilderness. They would see the completeness of God's victory over Egypt. However, it was not easy. They were afraid. It took the faith of Moses standing strong, and his encouragement to keep them from going back. In the end they sang the praises of God along with Moses because they saw two million people walk across the Red Sea on dry ground, and they saw the entire Egyptian army covered by the waters. It did not come before all of the Egyptian soldiers knew that God was fighting for Israel, and He is the All-Powerful Only God.
It is the same way today as we are called to trust Him for the big things and the small things of life. Only God can save a soul. That is the greatest miracle like the crossing of the Red Sea. Only God can supply your everyday needs like the miracle of the water at Marah. If you trust Him, He will bring you to Elim where there are twelve wells of water and palm trees, too. The problem for most people is that we begin to worry and complain, and we stop trusting before God can meet our needs. Then, we end up having those needs met in an inferior way. It is always best to let God do the fighting for us and the providing for us. To see this done we must walk closely with Him so we can hear His voice and follow His commands as Moses did.
My favorite part of the whole passage is when God tells Moses in chapter 14, "Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward." Is there any question that God has better things for us ahead if we will trust Him? Why do we keep crying out in fear. Trust Him and move forward. Don't think about going back when God has promised you a land flowing with milk and honey. Keep going forward, because you won't reach it by standing still or going back.