Posted by admin on April 12, 2010
You have the Egyptian army to the back side and the Red Sea in front and no where to go — you are between a rock and a hard place — what do you do?
The people of Israel raked Moses over the coals and let him know that they were not well pleased with dying in the wilderness — read verses 10 & 11
Moses responds back to the children of Israel with “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD…” Then Moses cries out the the Lord and the Lord gives the way out. Raise your rod and walk on dry land to the other side.
Some have tried to say that the Red Sea was no more than a swampy area where the Israelites could have walked across without God’s help. According to the Scripture that is just not so. First the waters were parted with huge walls of water on both sides. Then the Israelites marched across dry land not some wet marsh and finally when the people of Israel were all across Moses raises his staff one more time and the Egyptian army is completely wiped out under the mass of water drowning them. Just one more miracle of an Almighty God who takes care of His own.
As verse 31 says “Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses.”
We also need to respond to God in the same way “praise Him for His marvolous blessings upon out lives through His Son Jesus Christ.
Posted by admin on April 8, 2010
Once Pharaoh let the people go He led them into the wilderness. This was to keep them from changing their minds because they would have seen war in the land of the Philistines. So they went toward the wilderness of the Red Sea and they did it in an orderly fashion. As the people left Egypt they fulfilled an oath they had made to Joseph and took his bones with them.
The LORD led them as a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night. As long as the Israelites kept their focus on the LORD they would be led where He wanted them to go.
Likewise today, as we keep our focus on the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ, he will lead us where He wants us to go. Far to often we want to do things our way in our time when it is always better to do things His way in His timing.
Posted by admin on April 7, 2010
Because the Lord redeemed (set free) Israel from Egypt all the first born males were to be offered to the Lord as sacrifice (vs 15). Since the Lord killed all of the firswtborn of Egypt both man and beast it was only reasonable that all the firstborn of Israel would now belong to the Lord.
I find it interesting the comparison of the donkey to natural man and the provision that is made that the donkey is to be redeemed with the sacrifice of a lamb, and if he is not redeemed, then his neck is to be broken, and death is the result. Praise God that He sent His Son to be our Lamb, so that we would have life. Donkeys were an unclean animal and thus needed a clean lamb to be offered for it. Man in his natural state (thanks to Adam) is also an unclean being and needed a pure lamb to be sacrificed for him as well.
As we know the Lord Jesus Christ left heavens glory to die on the Cross of Calvary for our sins. He was and is the sacrificial lamb of God to pay for out redemption.
Posted by admin on April 6, 2010
Because the Nation Israel had to leave Egypt in such a hurry they did not hav etime to allow their dough to rise. Therefore, they had to prpeare unleavened bread to take with them. In remembrance of their freedom (escape from Egypt) the Lord instituted a feats of the unleavened bread.
In the process of eating the unleavened bread for seven days the head of the household would be required to teach their children why they did this. verse 8 says “…‘This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came up from Egypt.’”
In like manner I believe we should teach our children and grandchildren why we celebrate certain special days such as Christmas and Easter. Why we go to church every Sunday and why we do this or that for the Lord. If we do not tell them they will get their information from some one else and there is no telling if it will be correct or not.
Posted by admin on April 5, 2010
In these verses the Lord lays out some of the regulations of the Passover.
Interestingly, a servant that was owned could eat it after he was circumcised
but a hired servant or a foreigner could not, apparently, regardless if he was
circumcised or not.
They were not to carry any flesh outside nor break any of the lambs bones.
When Jesus was crucified, hundreds of years later, His bones were not broken
as was the usual custom to make sure of the death of the one being crucified.
A person could stay alive longer on the cross if he could stand up to get breath
when the Romans broke their legs they could no longer breathe.
If a stranger wanted to partake if the Passover Supper thenhe and all his
household had to be circumcised. All the children of Israel did this as a memorial
of their release from captivity as God brought them out of the land of Egypt.
In chapter 13:1-2 the Lord once again speaks to Moses and tells Him that the Nation
of Israel were to consecrate all of their firstborn, both man or animal, to Lord.
He spared their lives and they belong to Him.
Posted by admin on April 1, 2010
Pharaoh finally lets the peole go! Obviously it would have been far better for Egypt
had they left a day earlier but that was not God’s plan.
The people of Egypt urges the Israelites to get out of town NOW! They are afraid that
they will all die if God’s people do not leave quickly. So they quickly pack up the clothes
on their backs along with the plunders of Egyptian silver,articles of gold and clothing.
Interstingly God told them to ask for these things and the Egyptians gave them.
After living in Egypt for 430 years most as slaves the Israelites are finally out of the
land of Egypt and this is a day of observance with the Passover regulations given in the
coming verses. Since they left in such a haste they did not bring any provisions for themselves.
Their first meal was made from unleavened bread. I find it intersting that they left with the
Egyptian silver,articles of gold and clothing but not much food.
Posted by admin on March 30, 2010
29 “And it came to pass at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock. 30 So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.”
WOW! Talk about a literal nightmare. To wake up and find every firstborn of the Egyptians from Pharaoh to the lowest prisoner in the dungeon and even the firstborn of the livestock. I will have to check this out a little bit further but as I think it through for just a minute then I find the following.
It does not matter how old you are or how young, male or female, if you are a firstborn then you are dead. Wives losing their husbands, siblings losing their older brother/sister, and even a grand parent or two if they are a firstborn. As I think this trough a little bit more then I find that a granddad, a dad, and a son could all be first born so a family might lose all of their key leaders in a single moment of time.
We tend to think of only the new children are dead but the Word says all firstborn and does not, as far as I know, give an age cut off for death of thhe first born. When we think of it in this way it really blows us away.
Posted by admin on March 29, 2010
First let me apologize for not posting for a couple of weeks. I could give you a half dozen reasons, all valid at least in my eyes, but the bottom line is that I did not go out of my way to get this done like I desire and need to do. Hopefully I will get back on track this week.
Exodus 12:1-28
In this passage we have the Passover instituted as the Lord tells Moses what th epeople of Israel had to do the excape the death of the firstborn. Moses then tells the ELders of Israel and explains to them what they must do.
The feast of the unleavened bread is explained and instituted and the people are told how the put the lambs blood on their door posts so that the destroyer will pass over their houses on his way to Egypt to kill the firstborn.
The Nation of Israel is then instructed to continue to observe this forever to show that God spared them and set them free form bondage.
And it shall be, when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 that you shall say, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.’”
Praise the Lord we have also been set free from the bondage of sin by the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ. If you have put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and SAvior you have been set free and will spend eternity in the pronmised land of glory in His presence forever.
Posted by admin on March 17, 2010
I am skipping writing about my Exodus reading today I will catch up with that tomorrow. For today I would just like to say that I will miss Mary vanden Berg very much. She was a member of our church body and when we lose a member such as Mary you cannot but feel that you have lost an arm or a leg. The Nortonville Chapel will no doubt have an earthly scar where Mary was placed in our body.
The cheerful attitude that I saw whenever I talked with her at church, the breads and cookies that she baked whenever there was a need. She actually went above and beyond in providing these baked goods for us to enjoy. She will be remembered and sadly missed.
Yes Mary will be missed but what a great gain for her —- we can all be jealous because she is with her Savior even today. She stands in the presence of our Lord and Savior with a whole body rejoicing in the grace and mercy of our God. Her hands are now working, she can stand and walk on her own, her mind is whole once again and she is blessed.
Today’s funeral will actually be a blessing for us left behind as we think of what will be for those of us who know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. What a glorious day it will be when we get to stand with Mary vanden Berg in the presence of the Lord.
Posted by admin on March 16, 2010
My assumption here is that this warning given to Moses for Pharaoh is given at the end of the ninth plague before Moses leaves Pharaoh’s presence since both Pharaoh and Moses says that he will never see Pharaoh’s face again.
The LORD lets Moses know about the last plague that will be brought on Pharaoh and Egypt and it will be a doozy. Moses is told to let the people know that they are to ask the Egyptians for some articles of gold and silver which they give to the people of Israel because they have found favor in the eyes of the Egyptians. I find this interesting since they are slaves and have been treated badly for a lot of years. Of course God says that they will find favor so it should be of no surprise.
Also, by this time Moses was very great in the land, both Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. So he has, or perhaps I should say, so God has, made a name for Moses.
So the warning is given to Pharaoh and Moses leaves from the presence of Pharaoh. Finally we find a reminder that God will harden Pharaoh’s heart and he will not heed Moses so that all the wonder can be multiplied in the land thus showing that God is God over all.
