Reading: Exodus 20:1-17 The 10 commandments summarise God’s covenant law; the Bible provides more details about the law and its application. Example 1: In Exodus to Deuteronomy Moses expands on and explains how the Law is to be applied. About the sixth commandment (you shall not kill) we read “When you build a new house,… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 20 (1 of 2)
Reading: Exodus 19:7-25 God is preparing Israel to receive and accept His law. Through the mouth of Moses God speaks to Israel to impress upon them His majesty, power and covenant mercy. However, God needs to do more to address Israel’s stubborn pride, spiritual sleepiness and rebelliousness. God therefore adds another lesson; He will Himself… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 19 (3 of 3)
Reading: Exodus 19:5-6 God is preparing Israel to receive and accept His law. God not only brought Israel to Himself; He also made a legal agreement (the covenant) with them. He promises to be their God and care for them, without fail. Psalm 105:8 says “He remembers His covenant forever, the word which He commanded,… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 19 (2 of 3)
Reading: Exodus 19:1-4 and 20:1 and 2. Israel arrives at Mt Sinai. There for 12 months God instructs Israel in His divine classroom. They receive the written law, its explanation and application. On God’s instruction Israel also builds the tabernacle and brings it into service. God is very gentle. He does not immediately give Israel… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 19 (1 of 3)
Reading: Exodus 18:13-27 Moses is God’s prophet. God speaks to him and Moses tells Israel. Moses is also Israel’s leader. He has understands God’s statutes and laws (vs 16). It therefore is quite natural that he also becomes the people’s judge to settle disputes. However Israel is a nation of many people and there are… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 18
Reading: Exodus 17:1-17 Life is a spiritual battle. Israel’s faith in God is constantly under attack; sometimes from the outside, as with Pharaoh. At other times the attack is from within – this battle (against sin and unbelief) is in every believer’s heart. So it is in this chapter. God leads the Israelites to Rephidim.… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 17
Reading: Exodus 16:1-5; 11-15. The Israelites complain about hunger. Instead, they should pray to God for their needs. God had previously taken good care of them. During the great famine God, their Father, had wonderfully provided for Jacob and his family (Genesis 47). Israel should remember and trust God’s promises to care for them. Often… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 16
Reading: Exodus 15:1-19 “Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD.” The first word “then” links this song with the events in chapter 14. Moses is so overwhelmed by God’s great deeds that he composes a song of praise, teaches it to the Israelites and together they sing to God’s… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 15
Reading: Exodus 14:1-4; 15-31 Israel has just left Egypt. Now God leads them towards the Red Sea. But when they arrive at the water’s edge they are in great danger. Behind them is the road to Egypt. One both sides are steep high mountains and before them is the Red Sea. If an enemy comes… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 14
Reading: Exodus 13:17-22 God does not lead His people to Canaan along the shortest route, but sends them through the desert, by a long, difficult and dangerous journey. If they take the short route, the main road, the Philistines will immediately declare war. Israel is just a nation of slaves fresh out of slavery and… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 13
Reading: Exodus 12:1-14 God kills all the firstborn of Egypt. Before that, God commands each Israelite family to sacrifice a lamb and put its blood on their doorposts and lintel and says “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 12
Reading: Exodus 11:4-8 and 12:29,30. In Exodus 10:28 Pharaoh says to Moses “Get away from me! Take heed to yourself and see my face no more! For in the day you see my face you shall die!” Pharaoh, who still thinks he is a god, believes he has power over life and death. He thinks… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 11
Reading: Exodus 10:21-29 The most important god worshipped by the Egyptians is Amon-Re who, they say, created and maintains all things. His face is the sun and Pharaoh is his incarnation. Amon-Re blesses the earth with life giving light and warmth. Egypt completely depends on him. So far God sent eight plagues; eight times he… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 10
Reading: Exodus 8:20-24; 8:30-31; 9:22-30 Moses must tell Pharaoh “Let my people go” (Ex 8:20). If Pharaoh refuses, God will send swarms of flies on the Egyptians, but not on the Israelites “in order that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the land. … Tomorrow this sign shall be.”… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 8 & 9 (4 of 4)
You know how it goes! You decide to plant a garden, clear the ground, bring in new soil, add some compost, plant the seedlings. If you can, you connect it to an automatic sprinkling system and then you sit back and expect it all to happen. In a few weeks you’ll be reaping your broccoli,… Continue reading Keeping the weeds out of your relationships
Reading: Exodus 8:20-24; 9:22-26. While the Egyptians suffer from the plagues, there is another miracle: the Israelites, who live not far away in Goshen, are spared, as Moses records several times. In Exodus 8:22-23 God commands Moses to tell Pharaoh “And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 8 & 9 (3 of 4)
Reading: Exodus 8:8-15; 9:27-35. When Moses and Aaron first went to the palace they told Pharaoh “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go’ ” (Exodus 5:1). Pharaoh believed he was the incarnation of Amon-Ra and Horus, Egypt’s two main gods, and therefore controls everything in Egypt. Pharaoh absolutely refuses to even… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 8 & 9 (2 of 4)
Reading: Exodus 8:1-4; 16-17; 20-21; 9:1-19 God carefully choses ten plagues to show the Egyptians it is futile to trust in their gods and their magician priests. These magicians, who say they are close to the gods, practice magic, perform mystical rites and chant repetitive prayers to impress the gods so they will protect Egypt… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 8 & 9 (1 of 4)
Reading: Exodus 7:14-25 God sends Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh to demand Israel’s release. But Pharaoh refuses. Ten plagues follow. The plagues contain messages for Pharaoh and his court. First in Exodus 7:17 “Thus says the LORD: ‘By this you shall know that I am the LORD.’ ” Second, by the plagues all nations will… Continue reading Meditation: Exodus 7 (2 of 2)
Your children are out of their nappies, have learnt to read, are past the stage of the daily home reader, can pack their bags for school, make their own lunch each day. They monitor their own homework requirements (or say they do), disappear to school each day and return in the evening. They are in… Continue reading How independent are your kids?
