June 17/19 - THUNDER & TREMBLING - Exodus 19:19

Exodus 19 ¹ Exactly two months after the Israelites left Egypt, they arrived in the wilderness of Sinai. ² … and set up camp there at the base of Mount Sinai.

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 furnace, 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. 

 

This is another of my favorite passages of scripture. And I’m going to ask you to read it again. Read it out loud. Read it with your best James Earl Jones voice. (You know him, right? He was the voice of Mufasa in the Lion King. He was the voice of Darth Vader. You tremble when you hear his voice. And we need tremble when we read this passage. Go ahead … read it again!

 

That’s my devotional for today. God is big. He is awesome. Holy. Majestic. Eternal. He reigns over the skies. His voice is as mighty as the thunder.

 

And … we should … “tremble, tremble, tremble.”

 

And all this begs a question: After God did ten signs (ten plagues that freed them from Pharaoh … and then parted the Red Sea … after God appeared on the top of Sinai and spoke in thunder … how in the world could they make a gold calf to worship, after Moses ascended the mountain and didn’t come back immediately?

 

Could it be that they wanted a God they could control?

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants a God

who is bigger and grander

and more loving than me

June 16 - INTEGRITY - Exodus 18:13-21

¹³ The next day Moses sat

as judge for the people …

¹⁴ When Moses’ father-in-law saw …

he said, “ … Why do you sit alone

… from morning until evening?” 

¹⁵ Moses said … ¹⁶ “When they

have a dispute, they come

to me and I decide …

I make known to them the

statutes and instructions of God.” 

¹⁷ Moses’ father-in-law said …

“¹⁸ You will surely wear yourself out …

for the task is too heavy for you …

²¹ You should … 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.”

Exodus 18

 

I am mentoring a young man. We’re reading a classic old book by Gene Getz, called “The Measure of Man.” Pastor Getz originally taught it as a men’s Bible study on the New Testament books of 1 Timothy and Titus.

 

Timothy and Titus were young pastors, and the elder shepherd – the Apostle Paul – was giving advice on what to look for when recruiting godly assistants. In 1 Timothy, for example, Paul suggests the following: “[A godly leader] must be above reproach, married only once, temperate, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an apt teacher, ³ not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, and not a lover of money.”

 

And that’s only half of the list to Timothy! To Titus, Paul repeats most of these characteristics … and adds a few more.

 

The point? Godly people must choose their leaders wisely. Indeed, they must be godly!

 

And there’s a second point too, listen to the advice of the old shepherd … who will tell you that they must be godly and above reproach.”

 

Moses’ father-in-law – Jethro – was a literal, old, old shepherd. (He was the one who let Moses shepherd some sheep on the west side of the wilderness.) And what does the old shepherd advise? More or less the same thing Paul said:

 

“You should …

look for able men …

who fear God,

are trustworthy, and

hate dishonest gain.”

 

The question, then, is how well does that describe you?!

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who doesn’t

want to get old, but

wouldn’t mind being

an old, old shepherd,

worthy of being listened to

because I consistently

demonstrated

reverence and trust

 

 

 

 

 

 ⁴ He must manage his own household well, keeping his children submissive and respectful in every way … ⁶ He must not be a recent convert, or he may be puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil.”

 

The list in Titus is mostly similar, with Paul a

 

 

 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.”

June 15 - ALONENESS v. COMMUNITY - Exodus

⁸ Then Amalek came out

and fought with Israel …

¹¹ Whenever Moses held up

his hand, Israel 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 …

¹³ And Joshua defeated Amalek …

Exodus 17

 

This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. It’s point: We can’t do it alone … x2!

 

1.    If we can’t do “it” alone, whose help do we need? God’s!

 

And I must say, that our Lord has an interesting method of working in this world, and nothing you think or do will ever make sense until you understand it. God can do anything, anytime, anywhere. He’s God. He’s powerful. He’s King. But He’s also a gentleman. He’s chosen to involve us in this project called earth.

 

Apparently to teach specifically today’s lesson, God ordained that Israel would win only when Moses and Israel trusted in God’s power – which God engaged whenever Moses raised his hands. Our Lord was confirming that we can’t do “it” – win life’s victories – alone; therefore, we must trust in him.

 

And yet it was more than that …

 

2.    If we can’t win life’s victories alone, who else’s help do we need? Each other’s!

 

Read that again: We need each other! We’re designed that way.

 

At Creation God kept calling everything “good,” “good,” and “very good.” But do you know what was the first thing in creation that was literally “not good”? God says it himself -- Genesis 2:18 -- that “it is not good for the man to be alone.”

 

Yes, in many ways, this is a marriage passage – see verses 24-25. Nevertheless, it also testifies to God’s priority regarding all relationships. If it’s not good for anyone to be alone, then it is absolutely God’s plan that we live in community!

 

Now, flash to that mountain top, overlooking the battle with Amalek, Moses needed 1) God’s help, but he also needed 2) community. God could have rained down fire on Amalek, but God chose – in his wisdom (which I trust, but don’t always fully understand) – to allow Israel to participate in this battle. Apparently they needed this in order to learn that God would fight for them. But they had to participate by 1) trusting in him (Moses had to raise his hands) and by 2) trusting in each other (Moses had to depend on Aaron and Hur … and Aaron and Hur had to serve their brother).

 

We need each other! That’s the point. We need God and we need each other.

 

And as long as we place barriers between God (doubt, disobedience, etc.) and others (anger, jealousy, unforgiveness, etc.) we won’t experience victory (including nearly as much love, joy, peace, etc.)

 

 

 

June 14 - TEST & TRUST - Exodus 16:3-4

³ The Israelites said to [Moses and Aaron],

“If only we had died … in the land of Egypt,

when we … ate our fill of bread;

for you have brought us out into

this wilderness to kill this whole assembly

with hunger.” ⁴ Then the Lord said to Moses,

“I am going to rain bread from heaven for you,

and each day the people shall go out and gather

enough for that day. In that way I will test them,

whether they will follow my instruction or not.”

Exodus 16

 

The Lord is generous – even when we complain. (We call that grace! God is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love”!)

 

Our Lord is indeed concerned about our physical needs. For example, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus invites us to pray for physical needs, as in “Give us this day our daily bread.”

 

But … while our gracious heavenly Father is concerned about our physical needs, he is more concerned with our spiritual needs! And that’s what today’s lesson teaches.

 

Concerned about our physical needs, God says, “I am going to rain bread from heaven for you”; but more concerned about spiritual needs, God states that “I will test them.” (Who hates tests?!)

 

The test was this, God-the-Provider would “rain [down] bread from heaven for [them]” … but “each day” he would only give them “enough for that day.” Why? Because, first, we grow in faith most when we depend on his provision daily. That’s why faith tends to soar in poorer countries – they have nothing to depend upon except God. And that’s why faith tends to stagnate in wealthier countries – we depend on jobs and bank accounts, a fully stocked grocery and many other things. Therefore, God helped them trust in him daily. (And that was grace!)

 

But even more fully, God tested them in a second and deeper way. He said, “I will test them, whether they will follow my instruction or not.”

 

They didn’t. The first days they’d rush out to gather two or three days worth. Why? Because they were in bondage to fear – “What if there’s not enough for tomorrow?” But what were they doing? They were trusting in human solutions. They were not trusting in God.

 

Simple obedience – even when we think we know better – blesses our lives. Human solutions, especially when we rely on the world or rely on self, rather than trusting God – cause rotting and spoiling. (Which is exactly what the Israelites reaped when they collected more than a day’s worth.)

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who’s had his

freezer cut off for a week

(I don’t need anymore

spoiling and rot … ever)

 

June 13 - HUMAN SOLUTIONS - Exodus 15:24-25

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.

Exodus 15

 

Just a few days ago, I gave the Israelites props. When the Egyptian army was bearing down on them at the Red Sea, they unfortunately complained against Moses; nevertheless, they cried out to God first! (That’s step two in our journey to freedom! Good job.)

 

Today, however, the kudos come to an end.

 

They complain to Moses first.

 

Then, and this is important, they let Moses cry out to God on their behalf.

 

The path to freedom is not complaint. And freedom doesn’t come when we rely on others to do our work for us.

 

The first cry shouldn’t be downward, in pain or fear or worry. And we shouldn’t be yelling at others, expecting them to fix our problems. No. The first cry should point upward in faith, hope, and trust.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants

kudos and props

(I guess I’d better cry

before I complain)

 

June 11/12 - COMPLAINT - Exodus 15:22-24

²² Then Moses ordered Israel

to set out from the Red Sea …

They went three days in the wilderness

and found no water. 

²³ When they came to Marah,

they could not drink the water

… because it was bitter. …

²⁴ And the people complained

against Moses …

Exodus 15

 

Have you ever heard anyone say, “If only God would give us a sign …”?

 

God gave the people of Israel ten signs in a row. Ten consecutive miracles! Ten plagues … which finally prompted Pharaoh to set them free from their slavery.

 

And then God parted the Red Sea!

 

Nevertheless, how long did it take until the Israelites started complaining? Three days.

 

I’m frequently inclined to remind people that the effect of signs and wonders lasts three days. And that’s another reason we stay in bondage.

 

God is real. God is powerful. But as soon as we’re worried or inconvenienced, how often are we inclined to start doubting and complaining.

 

Worry, doubt, and complaint are continuing forms of bondage.

 

And isn’t it fascinating that while God is continually setting us free from real, strong, and powerful forms of external bondage (think of slaves being released from Egypt and then escaping Pharaoh’s massive army) that we, nevertheless, keep throwing ourselves back into internal slavery through worry, doubt, and complaint.

 

God is real and powerful. Are you trusting him?

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who runs with scissors

(I want to hurry and cut any

forms of bondage that

I create for myself)

 

June 10 - ADJUSTMENTS - Exodus 15:1-2

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

Exodus 15

 

When the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, what’d they do?

 

They worshipped!

 

They sang praise! “I will sing to the Lord for he has triumphed gloriously!”

 

And … they proclaimed truth:

 

“The Lord is my strength.” That’s true! Is it true for you? Powerfully? Personally?

 

“The Lord is … my might.” That’s true too. God is powerful. But is it true for you? When we personally believe this, we have strength … even in the midst of trials.

 

But what I like best is their next proclamation: “He has become my salvation.” I love the honesty! They are saying, “God is definitely salvation, but there was a time when he wasn’t.”

 

We trust in all kinds of other things, but when “the Lord … become[s our] salvation” we realize the power and protection that is with us already and anyway.

 

Has “the Lord … become [your] salvation”? What adjustments do you need to access this gift? What parts of your heart do you have to surrender in order to get there?

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who is a

powerful surrenderer

 

June 9 - FEAR - Exodus 14:10-11

¹⁰ As Pharaoh drew near,

the Israelites looked back,

and there were the Egyptians

advancing on them.

In great fear the Israelites

… ¹¹ said to Moses,

“Was it because there

were no graves in Egypt

that you have taken us away

to die in the wilderness?”

Exodus 14

 

Do you know the most important of the quote above? It is perhaps what I left out – see the three dots.

 

Why did I leave out a few words?

 

Because this – as I’ve presented it here – is how I’ve always heard this verse.

 

When we have “fear,” how many of us act badly?! We worry. We complain. Instead of looking up and trusting in God, we look down. We rely on self. We depend on human solutions. Yes, when we focus on whatever form of the Egyptian Army is advancing on us, we act badly.

 

Isn’t that what we see in words above? Pharaoh and his army advanced. The people were consumed with “fear.” And the people of Israel looked down, right? They complained to a human, Moses. They said that they wanted to return to the past. But the past was nothing more than the illusion of “better.” It had really been bondage. Slavery. They didn’t really want to go backward, but fear makes us say and do stupid things. (Have you ever been there? I sure have.)

 

But before they acted badly, do you know what they did first? Indeed, do you know what those three dots above represent?

 

Well, let me tell you what I intentionally left out. And we must do this by remembering our pattern …

 

·         The first step is to REALIZE that we are in trouble … and the Israelites were. The Egyptian army was bearing down of them.

 

·         The second step is to CRY OUT … and that’s exactly what the Israelites did! That’s what those three dots represent. Verse 11 admits that yes, there was “great fear,” yet “in [their] great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord.” That’s the dots. And in that cry was the beginning of freedom!

 

·         And it was after they cried out, that THE DELIVERER acted. Yes, God parted the Red Sea, but I love how Moses described what would happen. He said, “¹³ Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today ...¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”

 

I love the power and trust in those words of Moses. He’s surely looking up! But I love even more the character of Moses. The people complain against him, and because his trust is upward in the Lord (rather than downward in the opinions of man).

 

·         Finally, then, THE JOURNEY began. It wouldn’t be easy. They’d have to step first between two towering walls of water as the sea was parted. That too was scary, but their alternative was Pharaoh and death on one side of the sea, while God and freedom waited on the other.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who needs to

quit making mental …’s

and missing God’s point

 

June 8 - DENIAL - Exodus 13:18

The Israelites went up

out of the land of Egypt

prepared for battle.

Exodus 13:18

 

We are now on THE JOURNEY to freedom. We called this the fourth of four steps. But it’s time to start counting again. The first thing we need to do on the journey is to RECOGNIZE our starting point; then we’ll hope to discover where we’re going.

 

What is your starting point? What are you enslaved to?

 

Israel’s starting point was Egypt. Their bondage was caused by literal slavery. For them, it was taskmasters and hard labor.

 

But it was more than that. Even once they escaped their literal taskmasters, they still had to deal with many external obstacles and many internal worries, fears, and character imperfections.

 

Over the course of the next few weeks, we’ll keep reading the story of the Exodus. We want to get to the Promised Land, but our goal along the way is to discover – and defeat – some of the things that continually enslave humans like you, me, Moses, and the people of Israel.

 

We’d like to think leaving Egypt is the full extent of our journey. No! It’s just the beginning. We must RECOGNIZE the full extent of our bondage – and defeat it – before we can become truly free.

 

And the first of the battle occurs in Exodus 13. They exited Egypt in Exodus 12 and by the next chapter, they were already forced to recognize resistance. And yet they were ready! Scripture says that “13:18 The Israelites went up out of the land of Egypt prepared for battle.”

 

To make it from “your Egypt” to “your Promised Land,” you will have to trespass over lots of lands held by foreign nations. You will have to traverse enemy territory. And it won’t be easy! But I love how they started. It says, “the Israelites went … prepared for battle.”

 

They were realistic. Are you?

 

Your journey will be a battle. And the first obstacle is DENIAL. (And no, “de’ Nile” is not just a river in Egypt.) Denial is our first potential obstacle. Our first barrier is being UNPREPARED.

 

But they passed this initial hurdle magnificently. So what does this story teach us about succeeding in the journey?

 

1.    If you pay attention, God will lead you. Scripture says, “13:21 The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light …” God will surely guide you in different ways. (I haven’t seen many beckoning clouds lately.) Nevertheless, if you look, listen, pay closer attention, read scripture (the clearest form of God’s voice), and pray, you will find that God is clearly leading you too.

 

2.       If you trust, God will lead you safely. A day or two ago, I cited on of my favorite passages from the Exodus. In the verses just before our verse of the day we hear, “13:17-18 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer; for God thought, ‘If the people face war, they may change their minds and return to Egypt.’ So God led the people by the roundabout way …” Do you trust God to lead you, even if he seems to want to take you in a roundabout direction? His way is the best way, but you must trust his leading. Indeed, we’d do well to be like Ruth who said to Naomi, “Where you go, I will go; where you stay, I will stay.” (Ruth 1:16 – and as the song based on this verse concludes: “I will trust in you.”)

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who usually

goes the rough

and roundabout way

when he does it himself

(God’s way is more

scenic and safer)

 

June 7 - Day 11 - Exodus 12:35

³⁰ Pharaoh arose in the night …

and there was a loud cry in Egypt … 

³¹ Then he summoned Moses … and said,

“Rise up, go away from my people …

Go, worship the Lord … 

³² Take your flocks and your herds

… and be gone …” ³⁴ So the people took

their dough before it was leavened …

³⁵ [A]s Moses told them … they had asked

the Egyptians for jewelry of silver and gold …

³⁷ The Israelites journeyed from Rameses

to Succoth, about six hundred thousand

men on foot, besides children.

⁴⁰ The time that the Israelites had lived

in Egypt was four hundred thirty years.

Exodus 12

 

Israel was enslaved in Egypt. God acted powerfully on their behalf, but their freedom still required their journey.

 

Our freedom requires a JOURNEY too. And yesterday, we ended with this acknowledgement: The journey to freedom can be hard. It takes commitment and effort. Don’t turn back! Keep remembering that the God who cut the chains in Egypt and journeyed with them powerfully all the way to the Promised Land, is available to journey powerfully with you too.

 

Did you notice the key word in that passage? It’s “remembering.”

 

God knows that “remembering” is a powerful, freeing word. That’s why in even before rescuing the Israelites, God established the Passover as “^12:24 a perpetual ordinance.”

 

He said, “^12:26 And when [and when you do this year after year after year, 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 [and] spared our houses.’”

 

“Remembering.” God was teaching a powerful lesson:

 

If you’re not remembering

God’s power to deliver, then

you’ll be a permanent slave.

 

You’ll say the journey is too hard. You’ll want to go back to the familiar bondages in your personal Egypt. You’ll fall in despair … rather than stand in hope. You’ll act on fear … rather than venture bravely in trust. You’ll give up in defeat … rather than experience the freedom of God’s victory.

 

Look at the passage above, and remember the generous provision of God in setting us free:

 

·         You get to escape your Pharaoh (and whatever is enslaving you). God takes the initiative. He is kicking open the door to freedom!

 

·         You get to keep your godly assets. Whatever is godly and helpful in your life – your “flocks and herds” – get to come with you!

 

·         Furthermore, God promises to enrich you further. Indeed, he allows you to take treasures from what you’re escaping. Yes, the enslavement in Egypt was hard. (Yes, some of your enslavements are cruel and abusive.) But when you leave with God, he allows you to take Egypt’s “³⁶ silver and gold” and “³⁶ plunder.” At the very least we learn from our experiences, and come out wiser and stronger. But it’s more than that! We are invited to carry away plunder from our experiences! When we choose to lay down our unforgiveness, bitterness, and defeat, we become the rich ones (and it’s our tormentors who are truly impoverished).

 

·         The future blessings will be greater than what you’re seeing at the moment. The Israelites escaped so hurriedly that they didn’t have time to leaven the bread. Their first taste of freedom was eating the unrisen, unleavened cakes (v. 39). It was a small victory at first. But there would come a future day when they would feast on risen bread … and milk and honey. That’s the way freedom truly works. Each journey to newly freed territory is a foretaste of the greater feast that God promises for our lives.

 

·         Pharaoh won’t just send you out saying, “Go”; under God’s provision, you’ll be sent forth to experience the fullest expression of freedom: “Go, worship the Lord”!

 

It’s tempting to stay in bondage. It’s tempting to try, struggle, and want to head back to Egypt. But I want to escape Pharaoh and take his plunder. I want to keep what’s good, and add what’s better. And most of all, I want the joyful freedom of worshiping the one who sets me free.

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants

to say, “Arrr!”

(I want to plunder

Satan and Pharaoh

and live a life that is

rich and free)