I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change. Today’s study is a little on the short side. I think that may be common this year. Of course, I will warn you, that means that some day’s studies will be a bit long

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 25-27.

    Whenever I read the description of the design for the Tabernacle and its furnishings I struggle to see what God is communicating to me in this passage. Today as I read this it stuck me how beautiful all of these things would have been. I think in some ways that is the point of these passages for us today. There is value in creating a place of beauty as a place to worship God. There is danger there as well, but that is not what these passages are about. These passages describe the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, and the Tabernacle furnishings as things of great beauty. The beauty of these things enhanced the ability of the children of Israel to worship God. We must not overlook how beauty will do the same for us.

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change. .

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 22-24.

    Having given the general rules regarding how the children should interact with God and each other, God gives some more detailed rules about how they should build their society. The first group of these rules establish property rights. These rules establish punishments for those who fail to respect their neighbors property rights. Those rules, however, place limits on one’s liability for property which another has given into your custody.
    The next two groups of rules are about how society should be structured. These two groups are not clearly separated. The first of them is, more or less, a group of commands which tell us how we should relate to God and those He has given governing authority. The second is a group of commands about how we should interact with each other and how the governing authorities should treat those it governs. However, the two groups are not clearly separated and are somewhat intermixed. It is worth reading these in detail. I am going to note a couple that stood out to me:

• Do not mistreat immigrants. (It is worth noting that this does not actually tell us anything about the illegal immigrant debate)
• You must not exploit a widow or orphan. (God will look out for the powerless)
• When you hear a rumor, find out if it is true before passing it on.
• Just because everyone else is doing it does not mean it is OK to do something that is wrong.

There are many more worth reading and thinking about just as much as these. While the commands listed here are phrased in the context of a culture different than ours, we can still see how they can guide our behavior today.

This year I switched from using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible reading to the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net”. I have now done this long enough to say that I am glad I made the change. I am firmly convinced that the One Year Bible Online is a great way to read through the Bible in a year. It breaks the parts of the Bible which can be a struggle to read into manageable portions. However, I think that the Daily Bible Reading Schedule I am using now is a better format for doing a daily Bible study.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 19-21.

    Reading about how God had the children of Israel prepare for Him to speak with them gives us an idea about what it means to fear the Lord. They were to spend three days consecrating themselves for His arrival. As a side note, I find the parallel with Jesus’ three days in the grave interesting. I am not sure there is any connection between the two, but I want to give it some thought. During this period of consecration none of the people or their animals were to touch the mountain (as defined by a boundary marked by Moses) on pain of death. When God arrived on the third day, He reminded the people that none were to attempt to cross the boundary out of a desire to see God. Even after three days of consecration they were to purify themselves further, even the priests who regularly approached God to offer sacrifices (another interesting note: this takes place BEFORE God had Moses set up Aaron and his sons as priests. Who were the priests at this time?).

    When the preparations were completed, God spoke to the children of Israel. He gave them what we call the Ten Commandments and the Jews call the Ten Sayings or Ten Words. The first four commandments have to do with our relationship with God. The final six have to do with our relationships with our fellow man. The first two establish that God is the only god and we should worship only Him. The third tells us not to abrogate God’s authority for our own, that we are not to use God’s name for our own purposes. The fourth tells us that we have six days a week to take care of our worldly needs, but we should dedicate the seventh day to worshiping and communing with God. The fifth tells us to honor our parents, that doing so is the path to a long, full life. The remaining five, as Jesus tells us, can be summed up by, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” I will note that loving and worshiping God results in us loving ourselves. If we do not love ourselves, we will not love and worship God.

This year I switched from using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible reading to the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net”. I have now done this long enough to say that I am glad I made the change. I am firmly convinced that the One Year Bible Online is a great way to read through the Bible in a year. It breaks the parts of the Bible which can be a struggle to read into manageable portions. However, I think that the Daily Bible Reading Schedule I am using now is a better format for doing a daily Bible study.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 16-18.

    Despite the miraculous way the Children of Israel escaped the Egyptian army, they quickly began to complain about food. Then when God provided them with manna, they did not follow the instructions which Moses gave them. First, they tried to keep some for the next morning, when Moses told them not to. Then when Moses told them not to go out on the Sabbath to collect it, some of them did anyway (although I can sort of understand the second reaction after what happened to the manna which some kept over the first night. One interesting note I want to make here. I have heard it suggested that manna was a natural phenomena of the Sinai wilderness which Moses knew about from his time herding his father-in-law’s herds. The problem with that is how does a natural phenomena go bad overnight for five days a week and on the sixth day last through a second day?

    After receiving the manna when they complained about no food to eat, the children of Israel began to complain when they came to a place where they did not find water when they arrived. It is worth noting that they were still collecting manna every morning except for on the Sabbath. And Moses did not turn to God until he got desperate. Nevertheless, God provided for the needs of the children of Israel once more. There is a lesson here for us. God will be faithful, even when our faith falls short. God will provide for us, even when we struggle to believe.

    The advice which Moses’ father-in-law gave him was advice which every leader needs to hear. Every leader of a group that is larger than four needs to learn to delegate. Even when God speaks to you in a clear, unambiguous voice you cannot do everything yourself. More importantly, God will call others to various roles in the group and will speak to them. He will provide them with the wisdom and judgment to make the decisions for which that role calls. God intends for every leader to empower and encourage those they lead to use the gifts which God has given them so that those followers can in turn lead others to do God’s will. If those in subordinate positions must turn to the leader for every decision, the leader is not fulfilling God’s intentions. If you are a leader and feel that those whom God has called to follow you are unable to make Godly decisions about matters regarding the group, it is your job to teach them how to do so. If you feel that they are unwilling to make those decisions for themselves, you need to push them to do so (after teaching them to do so).

This year I switched from using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible reading to the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net”. I have now done this long enough to say that I am glad I made the change. I am firmly convinced that the One Year Bible Online is a great way to read through the Bible in a year. It breaks the parts of the Bible which can be a struggle to read into manageable portions. However, I think that the Daily Bible Reading Schedule I am using now is a better format for doing a daily Bible study.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 13-15.

    The people of Israel were told that the first born males (human and livestock) belonged to the Lord. They were to sacrifice the livestock (with the option to buy back donkey colts) and buy back their firstborn sons. Part of this is the idea of presenting the first of whatever we produce to God. This idea is given more depth later when the law describes first fruit sacrifices. The idea also goes back to the Cain and Abel story, where God looked favorably on Abel because he sacrificed from the firstborn of his flock. However, there is another point made here that is worth emphasis. They were required to buyback their firstborn sons. They were forbidden from sacrificing their sons. This prohibition was not an after thought, or a concession to human sentimentality. This prohibition was something which set the Israelites apart from the people around them. We know that throughout history almost every other people offered their children as sacrifices to their gods upon certain conditions (some peoples did so more routinely than others).

    When the Israelites left Egypt, God led them on a roundabout path because they were not prepared to face battle (as we see later in this passage). Further, no sooner had the Israelites left Egypt than the Pharaoh once more changed his mind about letting them go. Pharaoh gathered his armies and set out in pursuit. When Pharaoh overtook the Israelites they proved God correct, they were not ready, or willing, to fact battle. However, they were trapped and had no choice, until God provided them with an escape. By doing this God accomplished three purposes. First he forced the Egyptians to accept the departure of the Israelites by destroying the elites of their army. Second, God showed the Israelites that they were NOT an army prepared for battle. And third, God showed the Israelites that He could rescue them when all seemed lost.

This year I switched from using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible reading to the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net”. I have now done this long enough to say that I am glad I made the change. I am firmly convinced that the One Year Bible Online is a great way to read through the Bible in a year. It breaks the parts of the Bible which can be a struggle to read into manageable portions. However, I think that the Daily Bible Reading Schedule I am using now is a better format for doing a daily Bible study.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 10-12.

    Every time I read through Exodus and read about the plagues I am struck by one progression which happens. For the first seven plagues the Bible tells us that Pharaoh was stubborn, or hardened his heart, or for some other reason changed his mind about letting the Israelites go. In those first seven cases, Pharaoh reached those decisions of his own volition. However, with the plague of locusts and the plague of darkness which followed it the Bible tells us that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. God took away Pharaoh’s volition. There is an important lesson here. God has given each and every one of us free will. However, if we reject God’s will long enough and often enough, we lose the ability to voluntarily do God’s will.

    The establishment of Passover reminds us of our need to be ready to follow God’s lead on a moments notice. When God tells us that it is time to move, we must be prepared to grab our things and go. We can look at the preparations to see that many of them are important to being ready to travel at a moment’s notice. First, the bread was prepared without yeast. Bread with yeast must be allowed to rest so that the yeast can cause it to rise. Bread dough without yeast travels better, keeps longer unbaked, and can be baked at whatever moment allows. Meat roasted over an open fire can more readily be eaten while on the move than boiled meat.

This year I switched from using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible reading to the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net”. I have now done this long enough to say that I am glad I made the change. I am firmly convinced that the One Year Bible Online is a great way to read through the Bible in a year. It breaks the parts of the Bible which can be a struggle to read into manageable portions. However, I think that the Daily Bible Reading Schedule I am using now is a better format for doing a daily Bible study.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 7-9.

    Despite Moses’ reluctance, Aaron and Moses returned to Pharaoh at God’s direction. First, Moses made the demands of Pharaoh and Aaron cast his staff on the ground where it became a snake. Pharaoh’s advisers duplicated Aaron’s action causing Pharaoh to disregard God’s power…even after the snake from Aaron’s staff swallowed up the serpents from his advisers’ staves. Step by step the situation escalated from there. God would send Moses before Pharaoh to demand that he let the Israelites go into the wilderness to worship God. Pharaoh would refuse. God would send a plague. Pharaoh would agree to let the people go, if only Moses would lift the plague. Moses would lift the plague and Pharaoh would have a change of heart.

    Reading between the lines, I am convinced that Pharaoh believed that what Moses was doing were tricks of some kind. When the trouble departed, Pharaoh was sure that Moses could not bring it, or something worse, back. Time and again Pharaoh claimed to be convinced, claimed to believe in the power of God, only to renege on his agreement. The final plague in today’s passage is the hail storm. When Moses warned Pharaoh and his court that a hailstorm which would kill any exposed people or livestock was coming, only a few believed him and took action. So when Pharaoh told Moses that this time he would finally let the Israelites go, Moses told him outright that he knew neither Pharaoh nor his court feared God. They were still convinced that this was all some trick on the part of Moses. They were convinced that, sooner or later, he would run out of tricks.

This year I switched from using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible reading to the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net”. I have now done this long enough to say that I am glad I made the change. I am firmly convinced that the One Year Bible Online is a great way to read through the Bible in a year. It breaks the parts of the Bible which can be a struggle to read into manageable portions. However, I think that the Daily Bible Reading Schedule I am using now is a better format for doing a daily Bible study.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 4-6.

    Moses was reluctant to follow God’s calling to return to Egypt and lead the Israelites out of there. Actually, Moses was not just reluctant, he resisted the call. First, in yesterday’s passage, Moses asked God what he should tell the Israelites God’s name was. Which one of the gods which the Israelites were familiar with in Egypt was God? God’s response was that Moses was to tell them that He was who He was (“I am who I am”). Moses’ next reason not to go was to ask how he could convince people that he had actually talked to God. In response to that, God gave him three miraculous signs he could perform. Then Moses complained that he was not a very good public speaker, he stumbled over what to say, he put his words together in a way which left people confused about what he intended to say, he got tongue-tied. God’s answer to that was that since God was the one who made it possible for people to speak at all, God was able to overcome Moses’ speech problem. Finally, Moses just came out and said it, “Send someone else. I don’t want to go.” This made God angry, but He still worked with Moses and agreed to call Aaron to work with Moses, to be Moses’ spokesman. There is an important lesson for us here. When God calls us to a task, He will provide us with what we need to accomplish the task.

    When Moses got back to Egypt, he and Aaron told the Israelites what God had said to Moses and Moses showed them the signs God had given him. The Israelites were excited to hear God’s message. They praised and worshiped Him for the deliverance they thought would be shortly theirs. However, it did not work out that way. When Moses spoke to Pharaoh, Pharaoh did not listen to him. Pharaoh did not fear God and saw no reason to do as God commanded. Not only that, but Pharaoh believed that the Israelites request for a three-day journey into the wilderness was an act of rebellion. Pharaoh was determined to crush this rebellion in its infancy. If Moses had been hoping to lead a rebellion against Pharaoh, it all would have ended here. When the Pharaoh cracked down on the Israelites, they lost all interest in following Moses.

    However, this was not Moses leading a rebellion. This was God directing Moses so that Pharaoh would free the Israelites. Moses reiterates his complaint to God that he is a poor speaker. Clearly, God should have chosen someone else, someone with the ability to convince people. Except that God was not God’s plan. God’s plan was to demonstrate His power.

This year I switched from using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible reading to the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net”. I have now done this long enough to say that I am glad I made the change. I am firmly convinced that the One Year Bible Online is a great way to read through the Bible in a year. It breaks the parts of the Bible which can be a struggle to read into manageable portions. However, I think that the Daily Bible Reading Schedule I am using now is a better format for doing a daily Bible study.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Exodus 1-3.

    The Israelites remained as a separate people in the land of Egypt. When they had grown into a sizable group, those who controlled the land of Egypt became afraid that they would not remain under their control. One thing we often overlook is that the Pharaoh, speaking as the chief of those who controlled Egypt, was also afraid that the Israelites would leave Egypt. So, the Egyptians had two problems. The Israelites were becoming too many and too powerful to be controlled. Egypt needed the people of Israel (I assume this means that Egypt’s economy would suffer if the Israelites left). This is a problem that any nation will face sooner or later if they allow a group of people to enter the nation without becoming part of that nation. Egypt’s chosen solution, oppressing this unassimilated minority, always leads to trouble for the host civilization.

    As a young man, Moses wanted to use his position of privilege to help his people, the people of Israel. However, his attempt was misguided and misunderstood. It went wrong. What happened with Moses is what always happens when privileged young people attempt to help the oppressed. It was only when Moses was much older and wiser that God was able to use Him to lead His people. However, it is also important to realize that Moses was not wrong about God wanting to use him to free His people. He was guilty only of acting before God’s time. Even so, God used his mistake to prepare him. Moses’ mistake as a young man made him resistant to God’s calling when God was ready for him to act.

    We need to learn two lessons from this passage. First, we need to learn to wait for God’s time and direction before we act. The second is the much harder one. When God tells us that it is time to act, we need to be willing to act, even if our previous actions ended badly. God’s plans were not disrupted by Moses’ flaws, by his reluctance to do what God instructed him to do. However, Moses missed the opportunity to experience the Promised Land for himself because of those flaws.