Be Still…

Read Exodus 12:43-13:16

The exodus from Egypt was a big deal. It is an event still remembered today. A tradition kept because God said so. We heard in our last reading that not only did the Israelites leave Egypt with God’s help, but other slaves and tag-alongs did as well. Our reading today sets the guidelines for the remembrance and how it should be commemorated.

Like an army, it says, the Lord brought the people out. That must have been quite a spectacle. The people were on their way to a new reality that we will see unfold in the days ahead. For now, we should read this passage as a word from God to remember him. Do you celebrate the Passover in your tradition? If not, today’s reading will be a good reminder of what God decreed.

Continue reading “Exodus 12:43-13:16 – Remember This”

Read Exodus 12:29-42

God’s word is true. It is now, and it was then. All firstborn children and animals perished that night. On the anniversary of the Israelites’ 430th year in Egypt, they were on their way at last. Death was the final straw. Pharaoh was not going to change his mind. Was he?

The title of this book is “Exodus” and what we see beginning in these verses is the great exodus from Egypt. It was a quick move. There wasn’t a lot of time to think and to plan. God had told them what they needed to do. God had given them favor with the Egyptians so that they left with a lot more than they had come. We hear they “stripped the wealth” of the Egyptians.

Continue reading “Exodus 12:29-42 – Here We Go!”

Read Exodus 12:1-28

God absolutely knew what he was doing from the start. The timetable was set. It was like doing a restart on your computer or a reset on your phone to get a fresh start. That’s what God envisioned for his people. God knew there would be the firstborn plague. He timed it perfectly. Just when we were wondering why. He was setting them apart for his own purpose.

I’m not sure when Moses and Aaron got this message, but it doesn’t sound like it was at the same time Moses brought the news of the plague to Pharaoh. The Israelites needed to be made aware of how God’s plan involved them. There was some prepping to do.

Continue reading “Exodus 12:1-28 – The First Passover”

Read Exodus 11:1-10

This is it. This is God’s time. God tells Moses, “I will strike Pharaoh and the land of Egypt with one more blow. After that, Pharaoh will let you leave this country. In fact, he will be so eager to get rid of you that he will force you all to leave.” I can just imagine Moses thinking, “I’ll believe it when I see it!”

Then we hear what God is planning to do. Imagine your firstborn son dead! Everyone’s firstborn, including livestock. The sound of wailing would be eerie and deafening. But the Israelites will be at peace. Pharaoh will lose his son.

Continue reading “Exodus 11:1-10 – A Wail Heard Round the World”

Read Exodus 10:1-29

Have you ever said to someone, “I never want to see you again!” That usually comes from a place of anger, desperation, or frustration. Pharaoh was clearly put out with Moses and Aaron. He must have figured that if he didn’t see them again the destruction of his land would end. That is only true in that the land would not be touched again. We hear that it was already destroyed, so there was nothing left to ruin.

But God wasn’t done. We’ll have to wait and see what is coming next. But for today, we have two more plagues of destruction. God sent more pests. Locusts this time would devour all signs of life on the vegetation of the land. It must have looked like a warzone with leafless trees and no vegetation providing color or life. And then came the darkness. Like no darkness we have ever seen, other than perhaps in the middle of a forest with no city lights to brighten the horizon.

Continue reading “Exodus 10:1-29 – Never Again”