Israel at Mount Sinai

Moses was told to consecrate the people. This meant getting them physically and spiritually ready to meet God. The people were to set themselves apart from sin and even ordinary routine in order to dedicate themselves to the God. The act of washing and preparing served to get their minds and hearts ready. When we meet God for worship, we should set aside the cares and pre-occupations of everyday life. Use your time of physical preparations to get your mind ready to meet God.

The verses that have touched our hearts while reading the chapter are as follows:
5 Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine,
8 The people all answered as one: “Everything that the LORD has spoken we will do.” Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.
18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the LORD had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently.

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, we thank you for the gifts of this New Year 2016. With the welcoming of this year we also welcome You among our midst and truly pray that You bless each one of us with abundant blessings and prosperity. O God! Be gracious and bless us all. Amen

Chapter 19: Israel at Mount Sinai
1 On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai.
2 They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain.
3 Then Moses went up to God; the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites:
4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
5 Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine,
6 but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”
7 So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him.
8 The people all answered as one: “Everything that the LORD has spoken we will do.” Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD.
9 Then the LORD said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.” When Moses had told the words of the people to the LORD,
10 the LORD said to Moses: “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes
11 and prepare for the third day, because on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
12 You shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Be careful not to go up the mountain or to touch the edge of it. Any who touch the mountain shall be put to death.
13 No hand shall touch them, but they shall be stoned or shot with arrows; whether animal or human being, they shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain.”

14 So Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes.
15 And he said to the people, “Prepare for the third day; do not go near a woman.”
16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain, and a blast of a trumpet so loud that all the people who were in the camp trembled.
17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They took their stand at the foot of the mountain.
18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the LORD had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently.
19 As the blast of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder.
20 When the LORD descended upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain, the LORD summoned Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
21 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down and warn the people not to break through to the LORD to look; otherwise many of them will perish.
22 Even the priests who approach the LORD must consecrate themselves or the LORD will break out against them.”
23 Moses said to the LORD, “The people are not permitted to come up to Mount Sinai; for you yourself warned us, saying, ‘Set limits around the mountain and keep it holy.'”
24 The LORD said to him, “Go down, and come up bringing Aaron with you; but do not let either the priests or the people break through to come up to the LORD; otherwise he will break out against them.”
25 So Moses went down to the people and told them.

 

The Appointment of Judges

This chapter focuses on how we can delegate our responsibilities to others so that they can grow and also a system is established. Moses’ father in law came to know about Lord’s work through Moses and after coming to know the greatness of Moses’ Lord a burnt offering was sacrificed to God by him (father in law). Thus, we witness that when God’s work is spoken off the ones who have not even experienced them also believe and rejoice and acknowledge the mightiness of God.

We are the generation where everything is changing and evolving every day. Believing in God however, has gone stagnant for us. Our faith, hopes, love and devotion however hasn’t evolved. We all live a godless life and such an existence is worthless. We all have a choice today to rejoice in our Lord and ask for his forgiveness. We need to dust off that Bible which we haven’t opened for a very long time and also need to prioritize our soul cleansing. We need to include daily scripture reading and prayers in our busy schedules. We need God and we need Him to guide us.

The verses that have touched our hearts while reading the chapter are as follows:
9 Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in delivering them from the Egyptians.
10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh.
11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because he delivered the people from the Egyptians, when they dealt arrogantly with them.”

Let’s Pray: Lord, Heavenly King, and our Savior, take away all our inhibitions and shortcomings. End our sinful existence and make us your beloved, obedient children. Make us your faithful and loving followers. Change our hearts from selfish, stubborn and unkindness to giving, peaceful, merciful and prayerful beings. In the most precious name of our Savior Jesus Christ we pray. Amen

Chapter 18: The Appointment of Judges
1 Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for his people Israel, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.
2 After Moses had sent away his wife Zipporah, his father-in-law Jethro took her back,
3 along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been an alien in a foreign land”),
4 and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”).
5 Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came into the wilderness where Moses was encamped at the mountain of God, bringing Moses’ sons and wife to him.
6 He sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you, with your wife and her two sons.”
7 Moses went out to meet his father-in-law; he bowed down and kissed him; each asked after the other’s welfare, and they went into the tent.
8 Then Moses told his father-in-law all that the LORD had done to Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, all the hardship that had beset them on the way, and how the LORD had delivered them.
9 Jethro rejoiced for all the good that the LORD had done to Israel, in delivering them from the Egyptians.
10 Jethro said, “Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you from the Egyptians and from Pharaoh.
11 Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because he delivered the people from the Egyptians, when they dealt arrogantly with them.”
12 And Jethro, Moses’ fatherin- law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God; and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Moses’ father-in-law in the presence of God.
13 The next day Moses sat as judge for the people, while the people stood around him from morning until evening.
14 When Moses’ fatherin- law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, “What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?”
15 Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God.
16 When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make known to them the statutes and instructions of God.”
17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “What you are doing is not good.
18 You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.
19 Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You should represent the people before God, and you should bring their cases before God;
20 teach them the statutes and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do.
21 You should also look for able men among all the people, men who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain; set such men over them as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.
22 Let them sit as judges for the people at all times; let them bring every important case to you, but decide every minor case themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.
23 If you do this, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their home in peace.”
24 So Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all that he had said.
25 Moses chose able men from all Israel and appointed them as heads over the people, as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.
26 And they judged the people at all times; hard cases they brought to Moses, but any minor case they decided themselves.
27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went off to his own country.

 

God Gives the People Water

Again the people complained about their problem instead of praying. Some problems can be solved by careful thought or by rearranging our priorities. Some can be solved by discussion and good counsel. But some problems can be solved only by prayers. We should make determined effort to pray when we feel like complaining because complaining only raises our level of stress. A prayer quiets our thoughts and emotions and prepares us to listen.

The verses that have touched our hearts while reading the chapter are as follows:
1 From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” God defeats the Amalekites.
13 And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.
15 And Moses built an altar and called it, The LORD is my banner.

Let’s Pray: Lord, we believe in your mercies and care. You are all sovereign; please help us trust you in your timing. We try to get impatient and tend to take matters in our hands. We know that this is a weakness of ours, we are sorry. Holy Spirit please transforms this part of us. Help us to trust in you Lord and trust that your timing is best. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Chapter 17: God Gives the People Water
1 From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the LORD commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink.
2 The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the LORD?”
3 But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?”
4 So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.”
5 The LORD said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go.
6 I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel.
7 He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD among us or not?” God defeats the Amalekites
8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim.
9 Moses sai to Joshua, “Choose some men for us and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”
10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed; and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed.
12 But Moses’ hands grew weary; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. Aaron and
Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; so his hands were steady until the sun set.
13 And Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the sword.
14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this as a reminder in a book and recite it in the hearing of Joshua: I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”
15 And Moses built an altar and called it, The LORD is my banner.
16 He said, “A hand upon the banner of the LORD! The LORD will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.”

 

The Song of Moses

God promised that if the people obeyed him they would be free from diseases that plagued the Egyptians. Little did they know that many of the moral laws he later gave them were designed to keep them free from sickness. For example, following God’s law against prostitution would keep them free of venereal diseases. God’s laws for us are often designed to keep us from harm. Men and women are complex beings. Our physical, emotional and spiritual lives are intertwined. Modern medicine is now acknowledging what these laws assumed. If we want God to care for us, we need to submit to his direction for living.

The verses that have touched our hearts while reading the chapter are as follows:
1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.
18 The LORD will reign forever and ever.”
26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the
LORD who heals you.”

Let’s Pray: God of the universe, we thank you for your many good gifts. We pray to you Lord, that whenever we do not understand what’s happening in our lives, we are able to see that it is your plan and we seek your care and help to get through it. Blesses be God now and forever. Amen

Chapter 15: The Song of Moses

1 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The LORD is my strength and my might, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.
4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea; his picked officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
5 The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power — your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries; you sent out your fury, it consumed them like stubble.
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up, the floods stood up in a heap; the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
11 “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in splendor, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand, the earth swallowed them.
13 “In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed; you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 The peoples heard, they trembled; pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; trembling seized the leaders of Moab; all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
16 Terror and dread fell upon them; by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone until your people, O LORD, passed by, until the people whom you acquired passed by.
17 You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession, the place, O LORD, that you made your abode, the sanctuary, O LORD, that your hands established.
18 The LORD will reign forever and ever.”
19 When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his chariot drivers went into the sea, the LORD brought back the waters of the sea upon them; but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.
20 Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing.
21 And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.”
God journeys with Israel to Mount Sinai; God makes the water potable at Marah
22 Then Moses ordered Israel to set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.
23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter. That is why it was called Marah.
24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
25 He cried out to the LORD; and the LORD showed him a piece of wood; he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and an ordinance and there he put them to the test.
26 He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in his sight, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will not bring upon you any of the diseases that I brought upon the Egyptians; for I am the
LORD who heals you.”
27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees; and they camped there by the water.

 

Crossing the Red Sea

Trapped against the sea the Israelites faced the Egyptian army sweeping in for the kill. The Israelites thought they were doomed. After watching God’s powerful hand, deliver them from Egypt, their only response was fear, whining and despair. Where was their trust in God? Israel had to learn from repeated experience that God was able to provide for them. God has preserved these examples in the Bible so that we can learn to trust him the first time. By focusing on the God’s faithfulness in the past we can face crises with confidence rather than with fear and complaining.

The verses that have touched our hearts while reading the chapter are as follows:
4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, so that I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. And they did so.
13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again.
14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided.
29 But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
31 Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

Let’s Pray: Consistent obedience to God is best developed in times of less stress. Then when stress comes, our natural reaction will be to obey God. Lord, we pray that this becomes our life- i.e., we obey you and your commandments. Father, help us to see the value in obedience to you. Amen.

Chapter 14: Crossing the Red Sea

1 Then the LORD said to Moses:
2 Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall camp opposite it, by the sea.
3 Pharaoh will say of the Israelites, “They are wandering aimlessly in the land; the wilderness has closed in on them.”
4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, so that I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD. And they did so.
5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people, and they said, “What have we done, letting Israel leave our service?”
6 So he had his chariot made ready, and took his army with him;
7 he took six hundred picked chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.
8 The LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out boldly.
9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, his chariot drivers and his army; they overtook them camped by the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.
10 As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the LORD.
11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt?
12 Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”
13 But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the LORD will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again.
14 The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”
15 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward.
16 But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground.
17 Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.
18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.”
19 The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them.
20 It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided.
22 The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
23 The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers.
24 At the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic.
25 He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt.”
26 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.”
27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the LORD tossed the Egyptians into the sea.
28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained.
29 But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.
30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.
31 Israel saw the great work that the LORD did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the LORD and believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

 

God Establishes the Passover

Certainly holidays were instituted by God himself. Passover was a holiday designed to celebrate Israel’s deliverance from Egypt and to remind the people of what God had done. Passover became an annual remembrance of how God delivered the Hebrew from Egypt. Each of the people would pause to remember the day when the destroyer (God’s angel of death) passed over their homes. They gave thanks to God for saving them from death and bringing them out of the land of slavery and sin.

The verses that have touched our hearts while reading the chapter are as follows:
7 They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
11 This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD.
13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
27 you shall say, ‘It is the passover sacrifice to the LORD, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.'” And the people bowed down and worshiped.
42 That was for the LORD a night of vigil, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. That same night is a vigil to be kept for the LORD by all the Israelites throughout their generations.
43 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: This is the ordinance for the passover: no foreigner shall eat of it,

Let’s pray: Lord our redeemer and savor, we give ourselves to you fully. We fully acknowledge that you sacrificed your son Jesus Christ so that we may be freed from the deadly consequences of our sins. Through your son’s sacrifice a relationship between us (God and We) has been established. We pray to be committed and bounded to this new formed relationship and be truly yours and yours forever. Amen.

Chapter 12: God Establishes the Passover
1 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt:
2 This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you.
3 Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household.
4 If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it.
5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats.
6 You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight.
7 They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it.
8 They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs.
9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs.
10 You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn.
11 This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the LORD.
12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.
15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread; on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses, for whoever eats leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day shall be cut off from Israel.
16 On the first day you shall hold a solemn assembly, and on the seventh day a solemn assembly; no work shall be done on those days; only what everyone must eat, that alone may be prepared by you.
17 You shall observe the festival of unleavened bread, for on this very day I brought your companies out the land of Egypt: you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a perpetual ordinance.
18 In the first month, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day, you shall eat unleavened bread.
19 For seven days no leaven shall be found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether an alien or a native of the land.
20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your settlements you shall eat unleavened bread.
21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go, select lambs for your families, and slaughter the passover lamb.
22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood in the basin. None of you shall go outside the door of your house until morning.
23 For the LORD will pass through to strike down the Egyptians; when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over that door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you down.
24 You shall observe this rite as a perpetual ordinance for you and your children.
25 When you come to the land that the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this observance.
26 And when your children ask you, ‘What do you mean by this observance?’
27 you shall say, ‘It is the passover sacrifice to the LORD, for he passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt, when he struck down the Egyptians but spared our houses.'” And the people bowed down and worshiped.
28 The Israelites went and did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
The Israelites leave Egypt; the conclusion of the tenth plague: the death of the firstborn
29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the prisoner who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock.
30 Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his officials and all the Egyptians; and there was a loud cry in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.
31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron in the night, and said, “Rise up, go away from my people, both you and the Israelites! Go, worship the LORD, as you said.
32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you said, and be gone. And bring a blessing on me too!”
33 The Egyptians urged the people to hasten their departure from the land, for they said, “We shall all be dead.”
34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, with their kneading bowls wrapped up in their cloaks on their shoulders.
35 The Israelites had done as Moses told them; they had asked the Egyptians for jewelry of silver and gold, and for clothing,
36 and the LORD had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And so they plundered the Egyptians. The first stage of the journey
37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides children. 38 A mixed crowd also went up with them, and livestock in great numbers, both flocks and herds.
39 They baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt; it was not leavened, because they were driven out of
Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves.
40 The time that the Israelites had lived in Egypt was four hundred thirty years.
41 At the end of four hundred thirty years, on that very day, all the companies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.
42 That was for the LORD a night of vigil, to bring them out of the land of Egypt. That same night is a vigil to be kept for the LORD by all the Israelites throughout their generations.
43 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron: This is the ordinance for the passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but any slave who has been purchased may eat of it after he has been circumcised;
45 no bound or hired servant may eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the animal outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones.
47 The whole congregation of Israel shall celebrate it.
48 If an alien who resides with you wants to celebrate the passover to the LORD, all his males shall be circumcised; then he may draw near to celebrate it; he shall be regarded as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it;
49 there shall be one law for the native and for the alien who resides among you.
50 All the Israelites did just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron.
51 That very day the LORD brought the Israelites out of the land of Egypt, company by company.

 

The Plagues of Locusts and Darkness

There are two plagues in this chapter: Plague of Locusts and Plague of Darkness. These plagues mark the sinfulness of sin and warn us not to strive with our maker. We learn here that God is showing his mightiness and what all God can bring on the people/empire that goes against him. These are the very founding stones of our faith and trust in God. How like Pharaoh we are in a state of slavery to our sins and to the world.

The mere mention of the plague of darkness in the verse 21 runs jolts of shiver in our spine, “Darkness that was felt.” We all go through trials and tough times when we are praying for forgiveness of our own sins and find it hard to cope with. And these plagues are a perfect example of God making a difference between the Egyptians and the Israelites. We see very clearly that the people with sinful nature were in complete darkness and while those who put faiths in Lord were in light.

The verses that have touched our hearts while reading the chapter are as follows:
2 and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I have made fools of the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them — so that you may know that I am the LORD.”
10 He said to them, “The LORD indeed will be with you, if ever I let your little ones go with you! Plainly, you have some evil purpose in mind.
14 The locusts came upon all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever shall be again.
21 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt.”
24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses, and said, “Go, worship the LORD. Only your flocks and your herds shall remain behind. Even your children may go with you.”

Let’s Pray: Lord, our God, Almighty Savior, we are grateful for all the mercies and blessings you have bestowed upon us. These chapters (Exodus) are making us know more and more about you and your powers, love, forgiveness. The more we read the more we are humbled and ever repent of our short comings. Lord, we pray that you guide us and keep us protected from any ungodly nature. Pure our hearts and let there be peace, love and compassion in all our hearts, behavior, deeds and words. Lord, help that we may be able to come closer to you and never leave the shelter of your love and blessings. Amen

Chapter 10: The Plagues of Locusts and Darkness
Eighth plague: locusts
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh; for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his officials, in order that I may show these signs of mine among them,
2 and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I have made fools of the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them — so that you may know that I am the LORD.”
3 So Moses and Aaron went 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, so that they may worship me.
4 For if you refuse to let my people go, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country.
5 They shall cover the surface of the land, so that no one will be able to see the land. They shall devour the last remnant left you after the hail, and they shall devour every tree of yours that grows in the field. 6 They shall fill your houses, and the houses of all your officials and of all the Egyptians — something that neither your parents nor your grandparents have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.'” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.
7 Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “How long shall this fellow be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship 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, worship 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, because we have the LORD’s festival to celebrate.”
10 He said to them, “The LORD indeed will be with you, if ever I let your little ones go with you! Plainly, you have some evil purpose in mind.
11 No, never! Your men may go and worship the LORD, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.
12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt, so that the locusts may come upon it and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.”
13 So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night; when morning came, the east wind had brought the locusts.
14 The locusts came upon all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever shall be again.
15 They covered the surface of the whole land, so that the land was black; and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left; nothing green was left, no tree, no plant in the field, in all the land of Egypt.
16 Pharaoh hurriedly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.
17 Do forgive my sin just this once, and pray to the LORD your God that at the least he remove this deadly thing from me.”
18 So he went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD.
19 The LORD changed the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt.
20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.
Ninth plague: dense darkness
21 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven so that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness that can be felt.”
22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was dense darkness in all the land of Egypt for three days.
23 People could not see one another, and for three days they could not move from where they were; but all the Israelites had light where they lived.
24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses, and said, “Go, worship the LORD. Only your flocks and your herds shall remain behind. Even your children may go with you.”
25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings to sacrifice to the LORD our God.
26 Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must choose some of them for the worship of the LORD our God, and we will not know what to use to worship the LORD until we arrive there.”
27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was unwilling to let them go.
28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me! Take care that you do not see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.”
29 Moses said, “Just as you say! I will never see your face again.”

 

Israel’s Sufferings

The Second Book of Moses called Exodus: The Passover Lamb

The book of Exodus is named after the focus of the first fifteen chapters of the book: the liberation of Israel from Egypt by “the God of Abraham… Isaac, and… Jacob” (3.15). The Exodus, however, is not a goal until itself; the book continues with various laws which distinguish the community (chs 20-23, 34), as well as the instructions for the construction of the tabernacle (chs 25-40), which are narrated in great detail, and assure that a holy God will reside among the people.

Pharaoh was afraid the Israelites were becoming so numerous that they would organize and threaten his kingdom, so he made them slaves and oppressed them to kill their spirit and stop their growth. The Egyptians tried to wear down the Hebrew people by forcing them into slavery and mistreating them. Instead the Hebrews multiplied and grew stronger. When we are burdened or mistreated, we may feel mistreated. Our burdens can make us stronger and develop qualities in us that will prepare us for the future. We cannot be overcomers without troubles to overcome. Be true to God in the hard times because even the worst situations can make us better people.

The verses that have touched our hearts while reading the chapter are as follows:
But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live.
21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.

Let’s Pray: Gracious God, we commit ourselves to you. Transform us and help us to truly be your children. Let the hardships and troubles bring out the best in us and we never lose your site during our testing times. Provide us the strength to obey you rather than the men. We offer this prayer to you in the name of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Chapter 01: Israel’s Sufferings

1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household:
2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,
3 Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin,
4 Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher.
5 The total number of people born to Jacob was seventy. Joseph was already in Egypt.
6 Then Joseph died, and all his brothers, and that whole generation.
7 But the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.
8 Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.
9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we.
10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.”
11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities,
Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh.
12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.
13 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites,
14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They
were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah,
16 “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.”
17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live.
18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?”
19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”
20 So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong.
21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families.
22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.”

 

Burial of Jacob

When Jacob died at the age of 147, Joseph wept and mourned for months. When someone close to us dies, we need a long period of time to work through our grief. Crying and sharing our feelings with others helps us recover and go on with our life. Allow yourself and others the freedom to grieve over the loss of a loved one and give yourself time enough to complete your grieving process.

Now that Jacob (Israel) was dead, the brothers feared revenge from Joseph. Could he really have forgiven them for selling him into slavery? But to their surprise, Joseph not only forgave them but reassured them, offering to care for them and their families. Joseph’s forgiveness was complete. He demonstrated how God graciously accepts us even when we have ignored or rejected him, we should graciously forgive others.

The verses that have touched our hearts while reading the chapter are as follows:
9 Both chariots and charioteers went up with him. It was a very great company.
11 When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning on the part of the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan.
12 Thus his sons did for him as he had instructed them.
19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God?
20 Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.

Let’s Pray: Do you trust God enough to wait patiently for him to bring good out of bad situations/. Yes, we can trust him because, as Joseph learned, God can overrule people’s evil intentions to bring about his intended results. Lord, have mercy on us all; guide us towards a sinless living and ever trusting life. Amen

Chapter 50: Burial of Jacob

1 Then Joseph threw himself on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him.
2 Joseph commanded the physicians in his service to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel;
3 they spent forty days in doing this, for that is the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians wept for him seventy days.
4 When the days of weeping for him were past, Joseph addressed the household of Pharaoh, “If now I have found favor with you, please speak to Pharaoh as follows:
5 My father made me swear an oath; he said, ‘I am about to die. In the tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.’ Now therefore let me go up, so that I may bury my father; then I will return.”
6 Pharaoh answered, “Go up, and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”
7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,
8 as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father’s household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen.
9 Both chariots and charioteers went up with him. It was a very great company.
10 When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they held there a very great and sorrowful lamentation; and he observed a time of mourning for his father seven days.
11 When the Canaanite inhabitants of the land saw the mourning on the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “This is a grievous mourning on the part of the Egyptians.” Therefore the place was named Abel mizraim; it is beyond the Jordan.
12 Thus his sons did for him as he had instructed them.
13 They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite.
14 After he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt with his brothers and all who had gone up with him to bury his father.
15 Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?”
16 So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died,
17 ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18 Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.”
19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God?
20 Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.
21 So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.
22 So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s household; and Joseph lived one hundred ten years. 23 Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation; the children of Machir son of Manasseh were also born on Joseph’s knees.
24 Then Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die; but God will surely come to you, and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”
25 So Joseph made the Israelites swear, saying, “When God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here.”
26 And Joseph died, being one hundred ten years old; he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.

 

Jacob’s Prophecy Concerning His Sons

Jacob blessed each one of his sons and then made a prediction about each one’s future. The way the men had lived played an important role in Jacob’s blessings and prophecy. Our past also affects our present and future. By sunrise tomorrow our actions will have become our past. Yet they will have already begun to shape the future. What action can you choose or avoid that will positively shape your future?

Can you trust God when injury and persecution is directed at you? Such spiritual battles require teamwork between courageous and faithful people and almighty God.

The verses that have touched our hearts while reading the chapter are as follows:
1 Then Jacob called his sons, and said: “Gather around, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
2 Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father.
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each one of them with a suitable blessing. Order to bury Jacob at Machpelah

Let’s Pray: Lord, in every need let me come to you with humble trust. Always, always, inspite of weakness falls and shortcomings of every kind, Lord help me and never forsake me. Amen

Chapter 49: Jacob’s Prophecy Concerning His Sons
1 Then Jacob called his sons, and said: “Gather around, that I may tell you what will happen to you in days to come.
2 Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob; listen to Israel your father.
3 Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the first fruits of my vigor, excelling in rank and excelling in power.
4 Unstable as water, you shall no longer excel because you went up onto your father’s bed; then you defiled it — you went up onto my couch!
5 Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.
6 May I never come into their council; may I not be joined to their company — for in their anger they killed men, and at their whim they hamstrung oxen.
7 Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.
8 Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He crouches down, he stretches out like a lion, like a lioness — who dares rouse him up?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and the obedience of the peoples is his.
11 Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washes his garments in wine and his robe in the blood of grapes;
12 his eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
13 Zebulun shall settle at the shore of the sea; he shall be a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.
14 Issachar is a strong donkey, lying down between the sheepfolds;
15 he saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant; so he bowed his shoulder to the burden, and became a slave at forced labor.
16 Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.
17 Dan shall be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider falls backward.
18 I wait for your salvation, O LORD.
19 Gad shall be raided by raiders, but he shall raid at their heels.
20 Asher’s food shall be rich, and he shall provide royal delicacies.
21 Naphtali is a doe let loose that bears lovely fawns.
22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.
23 The archers fiercely attacked him; they shot at him and pressed him hard.
24 Yet his bow remained taut, and his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob, by the name of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
25 by the God of your father, who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.
26 The blessings of your father are stronger than the blessings of the eternal mountains, the bounties of the everlasting hills; may they be on the head of Joseph, on the brow of him who was set apart from his brothers.
27 Benjamin is a ravenous wolf, in the morning devouring the prey, and at evening dividing the spoil.”
28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, blessing each one of them with a suitable blessing. Order to bury Jacob at Machpelah
29 Then he charged them, saying to them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors — in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite,
30 in the cave in the field at Machpelah, near Mamre, in the land of Canaan, in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site.
31 There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried; there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried; and there I buried Leah —
32 the field and the cave that is in it were purchased from the Hittites.”
33 When Jacob ended his charge to his sons, he drew up his feet into the bed, breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.