Exodus 3:7-9 – God will come to our rescue

So right there in Horeb, Moses had a deep encounter with God. He didn’t meet Moses just to let him know what a supernatural God He was. He wasn’t there just to inform him that He was aware of what was happening to the children of Israel. He was there in all His glory, holiness and perfection, not only to make known His deep compassion for His people but also to initiate His plan to rescue them. Many of us do not even know the depth of love our awesome God has for us fallen sinful man. Yet He took the trouble to manifest Himself to us in order to set the rescue plan He has for us in motion.

Hardship has a way of making us lose our perspective about God. How often have people who professed to love God would doubt Him in a moment of despair? Many have even wondered if God really even cares. But the truth is that He does and He loves us beyond words. He had all the plans worked out long before the foundation of the world. God knew exactly what the descendants of Israel would go through long before the events that had happened to them, happened. To fulfill His promise, God was now initiating the move in His call to Moses. He said, “So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey….”

In verse 6, we are already told that God not only heard their cries but remembered the covenant He had made with their forefathers, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He could see how they were being oppressed by the Egyptians. He knew their plight in every facet and in all its precise details. What God said to Moses leaves us with a deep assurance that just as He knew about the affliction of the descendants of Israel, He also knows all about our present pressure and affliction. And like the Israelites, every single prayer that we have uttered to Him in our desperation has not gone unheard.

God does know our plight. He cares everything about us. As the Apostle Peter wrote in his letter that urged the church in affliction on what to do, we too can “…cast out cares on Him for He cares for us.” The truth is that God cares everything about us. He not only had heard our prayers but He is concretely working something to set us free from our dilemma and predicament. The unchanging truth is this: the God who rescued Israel from the affliction of the Egyptians is the same God who can and will rescue us from our afflictions today. He is the same God we worship and serve today. He will hear our cry as He had heard the cry of the children of Israel. He will come to our rescue as he had rescued them. So, let us draw near with confidence. There is no place too deep that God cannot reach and no trouble too big that God cannot help us solve. He will see us through if we let Him.  

Exodus 3:4-6 – Don’t take God’s presence for granted

As Moses drew near to look at the burning bush that the fire did not consume, the Lord called out to Him. Notice how God called him. He addressed him personally by name, and he called his personal name two times. More than catching the attention of Moses in calling his name twice, this tells us that God knew Moses personally. We cannot remember a time someone told God who Moses was. God just knew him. The reality is this, not only does God know Moses, He knows every one of us by name. He is a personal God. But it’s one thing to hear God’s call, but quite another to respond. We must be attentive to God and more importantly, we must respond when He calls to us.   

Once Moses’ attention was arrested, God then gave him a word of caution. He was told not to come any closer but to take off his sandals, for where he was standing was holy ground. This is the first time the word holy is used. The word “holy” simply means to ‘set apart’. We serve a holy God, one who is set apart from all that He had created. There is a distinct difference between the Holy God and sinful man. To draw near to Him, we sinful man must set ourselves apart from the world and yield to Him. So, like Moses, we must also set ourselves apart for God, if we are to draw near to Him.

In telling Moses to take off his sandals, God was calling for submission. God still requires vessels to be yielded to Him for the work He wants to do in the world. Like Moses, if we are to be His instrument, we must yield to Him. Taking off the sandals is also a call to respect God. As the Holy One, whom we worship and serve, He certainly deserves the highest honour and respect. And we must yield to Him wholeheartedly as Moses did.

In verse 6, God then told Moses, saying, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” First of all, He identified Himself to Moses as the God of his father. He was telling Moses that He was the One whom his biological father, Amram taught him to worship and serve before he was returned to Pharaoh’s daughter. Remember Moses’ childhood, after he was recused from the Nile, was raised in Amram’s home. God was referring to Himself as the One whom Moses’ father, as the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob worshipped and served. On hearing this Moses immediately hid his face from God, for he was afraid to look at Him.  

These verses instruct us on how we should approach our holy God. There must be a total surrender of ourselves to Him. Then there must be the attitude of reverence and holy fear for this awesome God. No matter how sincere and familiar we may be with God, we must never forget that He is still the holy God, and where we meet Him is holy ground. We must not take Him and His anointed presence for granted. We come to Him with sincerity and honesty. We cannot come into His holy presence carelessly. Meet God by all means, but remember that He is still the Holy God and we must not take Him for granted.  

Exodus 3:1-3 – Don’t be deprived by spiritual indifference

Prayer was what the Hebrews did for years under the unremitting oppression of Pharaoh’s taskmasters. For 400 years, they work with every last ounce of their energy under the sweltering, scorching desert sun of Egypt, building huge monuments for Pharaoh. For years the cracking sounds of the whips of their Egyptian oppressors never ceased. Yet in the long hours of their prolonged desperation, they prayed. The good news is: all the while God heard their groanings..., and He remembered..., He saw..., and He took notice. So, regardless of what we think about God, the best avenue in prolonged anguish is still prayer. We need to pray regardless of how long prayer may seem unanswered. Remember, even our Lord Jesus resorted to prayer in His hour of desperation. Hebrews 5:7 says that the Lord, “In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.” 

In answer to the Hebrews’ groanings, God initiated the process of delivering them with an encounter with Moses at Mount Horeb. Another name for Horeb is Mount Sinai. What made this mountain unique was the burning presence of God. If not for this presence, Horeb would be just like any other mountain. It was right here that the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a flame of fire, coming from within a bush. The uniqueness of the whole scene was that the bush was not consumed by the fire. However unusual the sight might be, it would amount to nothing had Moses lacked any wonderment. It was his divine curiosity that led him to turn aside to look at the inimitable manifestation of God. Without divine inquisitiveness he would have given the scene a pass, thinking and seeing nothing of it. 

Moses took the time to turn aside to scrutinize the scene. If he hadn’t, he would have totally missed the call of God. He could have raised many excuses for not turning aside. For he was busy shepherding his father-in-law’s flock. There could be so many "so-called reasons" in the things he needed to do. He could excuse himself by saying that time was not freely at his disposal. And it was not as if he was sitting idly by and doing nothing. Yet we can see that Moses chose to draw near deliberately to the burning bush to scrutinize what was taking place. He did not let the opportunity pass. Are we like Moses? Do we have any wonderment that will increase our divine inquisitiveness to go after God? Are we so caught up in the mundane activities of our life that we presume that we don't have time to seek God? We can never know what true life is really all about until we have an encounter with God. And we can never encounter God if we don’t take the time to draw near.  Let us not be so consumed with other activities that we have no time to encounter God.   

The burning bush unconsumed by the fire was not just a natural phenomenon, it was a supernatural sign. In his many years as a shepherd in the desert, Moses must have seen many bushes burnt into chaff many a times. Yet this one was unusual. The fire that surrounds that bush did not consume it. Why? God has control over the fire. And only He has the power to keep a bush unconsumed by His all-consuming fire. As the consuming fire, God’s glory will never be extinguished. His attractiveness will never diminish. He will always burn brightly and fervently. We can never experience God as the all-consuming fire if there is no desire or divine curiosity. What is our desire quotient today? Do we yearn to encounter God so much so that we will spare no effort and time to draw near to the presence of God? Know that at God’s right hand there is victory. And in His presence, there is joy forevermore. Decide not to let our spiritual indifference deprive us of the rich experiences we can find in encountering God!

Exodus 2:23-25 - Take heart, He hears our prayer

In these closing verses of Exodus 2, we see a shift of scene from Moses in Midian to the condition of the Hebrews in Egypt. Forty years had elapsed and we see that duration of intense suffering summarised in verse 23. Here we are told that the King who started the indescribable oppression had died but they were still in bondage. The name of that Pharaoh was not given but his death made possible for Moses to return to his birthplace and to the mission he was born to fulfill.

We cannot imagine the intensity of the bondage. It was a daily pressure of unutterable, agonizing afflictions. They must have yearned for the slightest relief which seemed far and remote. For centuries, they went through unrelenting pressure under the hot desert sun, toiling and building remarkable monuments for Pharaoh’s glory. It was not as if they did not pray, in fact, they did. Their prayers were so intense that they were described as groanings. The more they groaned the more it seemed that their cries went unheeded. In the course of our journey in this life, they will come a time when we find it hard to endure. Like it or not every one of us has our fair share of affliction though not as intense as that which the Hebrews had to endure. It is so encouraging to know that our groanings are prayers to God when we direct it to Him in faith. What’s more encouraging for us is that in our affliction we have the Holy Spirit to assist us in prayer! Romans 8:26-27 tell us that in circumstances when “we do not know how to pray as we should…the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words….” And because the Holy Spirit “who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, He is able to intercede for the saints according to the will of God.”

For several decades, their cries incessantly arose to God and seemed to go unheeded. They yearned deeply for liberation that was not forthcoming. They must have wondered whether God had heard their prayer. If He had, then they must be wondering when was God going to answer their constant plea. Like them, we need to know that every delay in answer to prayer is not an indication of God’s denial. In fact, verses 24-25 tell us that “God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.” Beloved, there is not a difficult situation in our life that God does not know. If there seems to be a delay in His answer to our prayer it’s because God is working out the best plan for us.

Notice the four verbs used to describe God’s awareness of the plight they were in. God not only heard their groanings, but He also remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And He saw their afflictions and took notice or knew of their plight. We take courage to know that when we pray, not only will God hear, but he will also remember us. He can definitely see all that is happening to us and knows our plight. In the situation of the Hebrews, God sent Moses into the desert to prepare him and he was about to be used for the deliverance. The liberation of the Hebrews was not about Moses but God, the real Liberator. Moses was only part of His larger plan. Like him, we must see ourselves, in whatever capacity, as only a part of God’s larger strategy. We are not the end, we are the means to an end.  

These three verses assure us that God hears and answers prayer. He not only hears us but also remembers that we are His people, even though at times, we may behave as if we are not. God can see everything that has happened to us for He is the all-seeing God. And He does take notice of everything that we are going through. Just remember that the answer to our prayer may not always be in the way we hope things will happen, but it will always be according to His perfect will and timing. God’s answer to prayer will always result in bringing Him the glory. Take heart, He hears our prayer!     

Exodus 2:15-22 – The need to connect with God

Moses had the heart for the unusual mission but the timing and method he went about it the first time was wrong. In a rage, he killed the Egyptian taskmaster and hid him in the sand. He did not know but what he did was noticed by one of the Hebrews. As he was trying to help settle a dispute between his Hebrew brethren, one of them accused him of seeking to do the same to him as he did to that taskmaster. Knowing that what he did would soon reach the ear of Pharaoh, he did not wait for the outcome.

The murder was obviously wrong. No matter how justifiable the reason for doing it, it was a sin. For his mistaken zeal, Moses anticipated that Pharaoh would want him more dead than alive. So, in verse 15, we are told that he fled and settled in Median and was now sitting by a well. He must have had the time to muse over all that had happened and wished he had a chance to redo what he did wrong. The best anyone who has made a mistake can do is to learn from the mistake that he had made.

Here, by the well of Midian, Moses was given a test to see if he had learned from his mistake. He had the opportunity to help the daughters of a Midian priest from some bullies by the well. The seven daughters of Reuel, a Midian priest, brought their father’s flock to the well to water them. Then came some rough shepherds who intimidate them and made it hard for them to fulfil their duties. Right there Moses was confronted with another situation of gross injustice. It was not slaves being oppressed, but girls being bullied. Instinctively, he helped them out and even went to the extent of helping them to water their father’s flock. Ordinarily, Reuel’s daughters would have to bear with the injustice and could only do the watering of the flock after the bullies had done theirs. But with the help of Moses, they were able to finish their task early. This was noticed by Reuel and inquired how they could do their task so fast that day. They narrated about how they were helped by Moses, who was eventually given the hand of Zipporah, one of his daughters, in marriage.   

  

In just one act, Moses forfeited all the luxuries of the palace accumulated over 40 years. And by the time he paid for his mistaken zeal, he had to spend another 40 years in Midian. This period in Midian was his re-training ground for the mission. In all these, we see the hand of God. From this, we see that even in failures and misjudgment, God has enough grace to transform a sinner. He can turn anyone into an effective servant. For forty years Moses thought he was something. For the next forty in the desert of Midian, he realized that he was nothing. Then for another forty, he was with God in the wilderness and realized that having God was everything. Just in case we are wondering how come God is taking so long to shape us for effective work? Remember that Moses had to spend two periods of forty years, one in the palace of Pharaoh another 40 in the desert of Midian before the 40 years of work in the wilderness.

One lesson Moses’ time in the desert of Midian teaches us is that we need time to be alone with God. In the quiet desert and a place where needless activities were drastically reduced, it would be a more conducive environment for Moses to encounter God. If we want to experience more connecting time with God, like Moses, we need to reduce the needless activities of life and create time for God. It is often in the stillness of created silence that we hear Him more clearly. What are we doing to reduce the noises in our life so that we can hear from God? Every one of us needs to make time for solitude and silence to hear the still small voice of God. Do take time to do it. It’s needful to hear His voice. 

Exodus 2:11-14 – Mission, method and moment

Time had passed and Moses was now a 40-year-old man. He must have known his ancestry and understood where his root was. That’s why in verse 11, it was mentioned twice that he went out to his brethren. God had preserved his life and placed him in an extraordinarily privileged position for 40 years to prepare him for the work he was expected to do. That’s why although he was raised as a prince in Egypt, he understood that his place was among his own people. He knew he had to deliver them from the plight and oppression dealt by the ruthless Pharaoh. Exodus 2:11-15 is a description of his first attempt at helping his people.

To be an effective and successful people helper, three elements must be in place. Firstly, one needs to have the heart for the mission. Secondly, he also needs to deploy the right method and thirdly, he will need to discern the right moment to do the work. Only when these three elements are there, would there be success and effectiveness in what one seeks to do. Sadly, while Moses had the heart for the mission, he used the wrong method and executed it at the wrong moment. What was meant to alleviate the plight of his brethren, spelled trouble for him.

In one of Moses’ visits to his Hebrew brethren, he saw one of them being cruelly beaten by a taskmaster. Seeing the injustice, he angrily killed that taskmaster. He then cautiously buried the dead body, thinking that no one had seen what he had done. Moses assumed that his Hebrew brethren would appreciate his willingness to help them. So, the next day when he went out among his brethren again, he saw two of them disputing and contending with each other. While he was seeking to help to mediate their quarrel, one of them accused him of trying to kill him, like what he did to the taskmaster. Realizing that what he did to the taskmaster would soon reach the ears of Pharaoh, Moses ran for his life and became a fugitive. He had failed in his mission because he deployed the wrong method and the wrong moment to help.

What lessons can we take away? Like Moses, it is important for us as people helpers, to have a heart for mission. Such a heart for the mission will be seen in one’s ability to identify with the people, to have deep compassion concerning their plight and to come to the task with passion. Identification, compassion, and passion are three clear pieces of evidence of a person who has a heart for mission. Then we need to deploy the right method to do the task. Moses in anger hastily did the wrong thing and killed that taskmaster. "Anger cannot do the righteous work of God" so said James in his epistle. And murder would certainly not be a good method to use to help alleviate another person's plight. Moses obviously used the wrong method. In that one murder, he threw away 40 years of preparation In the palace of Pharaoh. How wasteful! What also failed him was that he did it at the wrong moment. Timing is everything. Right methods carried out at the wrong moment can spell disaster. A right moment without a right method will also not yield the expected result.

Let’s put all these together. To be an effective people helper, we need to have a heart for the mission. We will also need to deploy the right method. And then we will need to do it at the right moment. A heart for one's mission is important but just as critical would be to know the right method to do it, and then the right moment to act. We must do the mission God has entrusted us, but we must do so by cultivating and developing the right method. Then let's execute it at the right moment. Let’s depend on the Lord to lead in all three!

Exodus 2:1-10 – Being God’s drawn-out people

Pharaoh was desperate, whatever he tried had failed to suppress the growth of the Hebrew population. He tried oppression, it didn’t work, so he tried infanticide. Even that didn’t work. The two midwives refused to collaborate with him, so his plan failed. Finally, in Exodus 1:22, he resorted to genocide. He left a decree to his people saying, “Every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”

In the first two verses of Exodus 2, we are introduced to the parents of Moses, though their names were not revealed until later. Moses’ parents hailed from the tribe of Levi. Not dissuaded by the tough time they were encountering, they went ahead, got married and soon his mother was pregnant and gave birth to him. Verse 2 tells us that the baby Moses was a fine child. But he was born with a death sentence on his head. And like most protective mothers would, his mother chose to take the risk and nursed him under extremely harsh, risky and perilous circumstances. If she was discovered, both she and the baby would surely be executed. This shows us that genuine faith in God demands boldness. So, Moses’ parents’ faith in God made them fear Him more than they feared men. Here we learn a lesson about faith in God. Faith makes one willing to risk everything for God. And Moses’ parents show us that genuine faith in God will exact a bold commitment. It makes one willing to stand out for the Lord, even if it means risking one’s life.

For three months, baby Moses survived, undetected. But as he grew in size, it became more difficult to nurse him in those strenuous circumstances. So, his mother had a papyrus basket made, coated it with tar and pitch, placed the child Moses in it and left him floating among the reeds by the bank of River Nile. And as an extra measure to keep the baby safe, Moses’ mother had his sister watching him in the basket from a distance. As divine providence would have it, Pharaoh’s daughter came to take her bath in the Nile. She spotted the baby while walking along the bank. So, she had one of her maids brought the basket to her. As she opened the cover of the basket, her eyes caught the lovely crying baby. She knew that he was one of the Hebrew boys and took pity on him. Immediately, Moses’ sister, who stood a distance watching, sprang into action. Wisely, she came forward and offered to find a nurse to help Pharaoh’s daughter to look after the baby whom she had found. She immediately agreed. So, Moses’ mother was brought to the princess who entrusted her with the task of looking after her own baby. The arrangement had to be God. It is difficult to think that Pharaoh’s daughter didn’t know her father’s order to kill every male child. Why did she defy her own father’s order? These are hard questions, but with God nothing is impossible. He was engineering the arrival of a savior.

Moses’ name was given by the princess. It means “one drawn out of the water.” It was truly a befitting name for him. For we will see that many times in the book he would be drawn out. Here he was drawn out of the water of death. Then he would be drawn out into the desert to save himself from the wrath of Pharaoh for killing the Egyptian taskmasters. Then He would be drawn out and called into divine service through a burning bush. Then again, he would be drawn out to go up into the mountain to encounter God. And finally, he would be sent to draw others to worship and serve the one true God.   

The birth of Moses and his preservation is the continuation of God’s redemptive act to save the world. It started with a promise in Genesis 3:15 to mankind. It continued with the call of Abraham and the growth of his family through Isaac and Jacob and the formation of the Hebrew nation. Moses was a savior but he was not THE Savior. He was just the prototype of Jesus, the Savior who eventually came. Moses’ mission was to lead the people of God out from their bondage of Egypt. Jesus, the Savior, came to draw us out of our the bondage of guilt and condemnation of sin. Moses was drawn out to demonstrate the power of the one true God to save. Like him, we are also drawn out of the world of darkness to proclaim the excellencies of Him who has drawn us into the Kingdom of His marvelous light. What a privilege!  

Exodus 1:15-22 – Serving God calls for courage and boldness

The descendants of Israel went through a time of great oppression and slavery. This was no surprise as God already foretold this in Genesis 15:13. God told Abraham while the patriarch was fast asleep, saying, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed four hundred years.” However, God’s end game for them was not slavery forever. So, despite the great oppression and slavery enforced by Pharaoh, the descendants of Israel multiplied greatly. In Genesis 15:14, God’s promise to them was “But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.” The children of Israel were promised a possession, but it would not take place until they had gone through much suffering. And they did.

Soon it dawned on the king of Egypt that slavery did not bring about the result he desired. The population of Israel kept increasing notwithstanding his harsh treatment. To lessen the rapidly increasing population of the Israelites, Pharaoh schemed to commit infanticide. He summoned Shiphrah and Puah, the two Hebrew midwives and said to them, “When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” This was Satan’s scheme to counter God’s promise in Genesis 3:15, concerning the coming of a savior. But the midwives under the guidance of God did not follow the plan of the Pharaoh. The truth is this: God is sovereign and His plan will always supersede the evil design of Satan. He will never allow evil to thwart the progress of His plan. There will always be people whom He will raise up to do His bidding. They will be the instruments, whom He can count on to execute His plan and carry it forward. Shiphrah and Puah were the people He used to preserve the lives of the new born of the children of Israel. In our days of uncertainty, can He count on us? Are we the kind of people whom God is raising to advance His Kingdom? Will He see the faithfulness and diligence in us that can be used to influence people for the Kingdom?

To preserve the population of the male in Israel the two midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, did not obey the instructions of Pharaoh. They defied his order to annihilate all the new-born male of the Israelites. And God was said to have rewarded them. This creates a little difficulty for the purists who saw lying as a contradiction to God’s nature. Didn’t God say he detests lies? Why then did He reward Shiphrah and Puah who lied to the Pharaoh? One principle we must accept is this: The instructions of God must always take precedence. It is more important to obey God’s Word and fulfill His plan than the word and plan of man. When God’s plan for our life and man’s instruction contradict, God’s plan must be given the preference. This was the basis the early apostles followed. In Acts 5:29, when ordered by the authority not to spread the good news of Christ, the answer of Peter and his gang was: “We must obey God rather than men!” They risked their lives just like the two midwives. To ensure the progress of God’s plan, will we be willing to risk our lives?

Interestingly, the name Shiphrah means “beautiful one” and Puah means “splendid one.” These two midwives lived up to their names. What they did was not only beautiful but also splendid. They helped to advance the cause of God and retard the wicked plan of Pharaoh. Like the midwives, when we walk in line with the Word of God, we become beautiful and splendid people. We too can be used to advance God’s work and retard Satan’s plan. Therefore, let us be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that our toil in Him will not be in vain.   

Exodus 1:8-14 – Discomfort, a signal of God’s new direction

Exodus 1:8 sets the stage for the coming oppression that the descendants of Israel would have to suffer. A new king who did not know about Joseph came into power. The future of their stay in Egypt had become bleak. In God’s design, Egypt was not their home. In Genesis 50:24, Joseph in his deathbed reminded the people of Israel. He told them, “God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land He promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Like Egypt to the people of Israel, so is this world to us. Every time we feel comfortable with the world and then the good times seem to be coming to an end, remember this world is not our home. We are just passing through. Like what He had for Israel, God also has a grander goal for us. And He intends to take us there. The discomfort we may feel about what’s happening around us could be a signal of hard times ahead but also the start of a new journey into the grander plan God has for us.

In politics, it’s all about who we know. Unfortunate for the children of Israel, the new Pharaoh did not know Joseph. And it meant that the future of Israel would be gloomy. The new monarch didn’t feel obligated to be cordial to the descendants of Israel. In the process of time, the Egyptians began to fear the increasing number of Israelites. And soon their fear caused them to see the Israelites as a threat. Eventually, the threat turned into hate. And with intense hatred, they then sought to suppress them. What the new king did to the descendants of Israel, is what Satan through his legions of dark forces would do to us. Their attack could be relentless when we are right smack in the centre of God’s plan for our future. This makes it necessary for us to stay faithfully connected to God. Yes, even in times of unrelenting hardship.  

The craziness of the whole scene is that the new Pharaoh, despite his superior military advantage, could be so fearful and paranoid of a people who had none. So, he created an excuse to impose hardships for the people of Israel. An excuse we know is just pretense and lies disguised as truth. He vainly imagined that the people of Israel would join with an enemy force to attack them. So, he organized them into bondage and make them do their bidding. Verse 11 tells us that the Egyptians “…appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses.” But the cruelty did not help their cause. “The more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel.” They were oblivious that those were God’s people and He was their backing. We too can take heart in times of our hardship. In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle Paul asserted that “If God is for us, who can be against us?” And also “If God did not spare His only Son but gave Him for us, will He not together with Him gives us all things?” This question presupposes “Yes” for an answer. Yes, God will grant us the victory.

Pharaoh’s strategy was demonically inspired. His plan was to supress the people of Israel and to disable them from focusing on God. This is a lesson for us. Trials and temptations can cause us to turn our focus away from God, and to the difficult circumstances that we may be facing. Satan uses hardship to distract us. Through them he makes us discouraged and drives us into despair. We refuse to let him do that to us. We take the example of Jesus, who though He was God’s Son, learned obedience through the things He suffered. According to Hebrews 12:2, Jesus, “…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” He left us an example to the path of victory. 

Exodus 1:1-7 – God has a plan for us

The book of Exodus is without a doubt a sequel to the book of Genesis.  The opening verses quickly link us to the first book. Exodus 1:2-5 list for us Israel’s twelve sons. They were Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali, Gad, Asher and Joseph, who was already in Egypt. We are all too familiar with the story of Joseph narrated in the book of Genesis. He was betrayed by his jealous brothers, who sold him as a slave to Egypt. And from that lowly position, he dramatically rose to be the second most powerful man in Egypt.

In total, the number of Jacob’s descendants who came to Egypt was seventy people. Verse 6 tells us that eventually all the twelve brothers, including Joseph, died. But their descendants were fruitful. They multiplied greatly and the land of Egypt was filled with them. The one special thing that made the children of Israel great was their relationship with God. He was their backing. Verse 7 is an indication that God had fulfilled the promise He made to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He promised them that they would become a great nation. What we see in verse 7 is a fulfillment of the promise God had made to them. He promised and they, “…the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty so that the land was filled with them.”

However, the story about the departure of the sons of Israel from Egypt is not so much about Joseph, the twelve brothers, and their families. It is all about God. The record of the past deeds of the brothers tells us that they wouldn’t have amounted to much if not for God’s gracious hand upon their lives. The one thing that got Israel becoming so great a nation was nothing else but God. They were God’s covenanted people and God was on their side.  So, the story of Exodus is about the Almighty God, who set up the whole destiny of Israel, the miracle nation.

The question that comes to mind is, “What have all these got to do with us?” One thing we do know is that these verses set the platform and create the anticipation for us to expect what’s to come. God’s fulfillment of His promise to His people tells us that we can trust and place our confidence in Him and His plan for our life too. These seven verses point us to God who keeps His covenant and promise. When He called Abraham out of his pagan ancestry, he left everything to follow that call. Though he did not see the extent of the promise, his descendants had become a great people and a great nation. God had fulfilled it. He has set in motion the plan He has for humanity and for us. Aren’t we glad that He includes us in His plan?  So, let us brace up for the journey into our destiny.

A brief introduction to the book of Exodus

Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible collectively called the Pentateuch. The book of Exodus is the second of the five books. A strong argument for Moses’ authorship of Exodus was made by the Lord Jesus Himself. In Mark 12:26-27 he alluded to the passage concerning the burning bush from Exodus. He referred to the excerpt as taken from the book of Moses. In that discussion with some Sadducees, he asked them “…have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the burning bush, how God spoke to him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’?” The Lord indirectly attributed the authorship of the book of Exodus to Moses.

The title of this book Exodus was taken from the Greek translation of the Old Testament. The word Exodus (Exodos) is a Greek word. The prefix “Ex (Ex)” means “out” and the word “odos (odos)” means “the way or the route.” Placed together the word Exodus means “the way out.” From this title, we can tell that it’s about the story of how God led His people out of the life of bondage. In essence, it captures the idea of the people of Israel coming out of Egypt, the land of bondage described in the first thirteen chapters of this book. In Exodus, we see a continuation of the story of redemption that began in Genesis. It continues the story of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and his twelve sons. The book describes how they were organized into bondage in Egypt by Pharaoh. But it also tells us how God initiated their deliverance by calling and sending Moses to lead them out of their bondage. Today, God is still leading people out of the crutches of the bondage and sin. His intention is still the same as shown in the book of Exodus. He still wants a people for His own possession, a people who will genuinely worship Him.

In this book, we will see the giving of the Ten Commandments. These are a summary of how God’s drawn people ought to live as a called-out community. They essentially encapsulate two critical instructions. We are to love God with all that we are – spirit, soul, mind, and body. And we are also to love others. In this book, we will also see the instruction on the construction of the Tabernacle, the earthly portable dwelling place of God and all the furnishings for this tent of meeting that points us to God’s redemption plan. The book of Exodus continues into the next three books of Moses, namely Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.  

From Exodus, we can see how much God wants us to have a people that would worship Him alone. But sadly, in the book of Exodus, the sinful nature that man inherited from Adam’s fall surfaced again and again. Instead of offering wholehearted worship to the one and only true God, mankind continually gravitates towards their lower nature. Exodus clearly shows us that God wants to deliver us from our sin and bondage. It shows us how much we need to stay on our journey with Him. It reveals how much God yearns for us to be a people of His own possession. Let’s journey together and discover the heart of God and be challenged to love Him as we ought.    

Joshua 24:29-33 – Leaving a legacy

The closing verses of this book briefly tell us about the burials of Joshua, Joseph, and Eleazar, the priest. Verses 29-30 tell us that Joshua lived to a ripe old age. At 110 years old he died and was buried “in the territory of his inheritance in Timnath-Serah, in the hill country of Ephraim, on the north of Mount Gaash.” Joseph’s burial ground was located in Shechem, the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. Remember before Joseph died, he left words for the children of Israel to carry his bones out when they left Egypt. He knew the Lord would bring them into the promised land and he wanted to be buried there. So, his bones travelled with the children of Israel through the journey. Verse 32 tells us that he was finally laid to rest in Shechem. Eleazer, the priest, was buried at Gibeah in the hill country of Ephraim, in the land which Phinehas his son was given.

Briefly, verse 31 tells us the impact Joshua made. It says “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, and had known all the deeds of the Lord which He had done for Israel.” In other words, Joshua had lived such an influential life, leaving a godly example to those he led into Canaan, that even after he was gone, the influence he left behind impacted the people. This verse said that the people continued to serve the Lord through the days of the elders who survived Joshua. They were described as having known the deeds that the Lord had done for Israel. We can safely surmise that he left a rich legacy behind.

What we are not told was the inscriptions found on their tombstones. But we all know three epitaphs that can definitely be seen on every modern tombstone today: the date of birth of a deceased, the date he or she died and a hyphen ‘–’ in between. The hyphen is just a short dash that tells nothing, but it represents the most critical period of one’s life. It represents the activities that had taken place while the person was still alive. Joshua did much, “the dash” on his tombstone had spoken volumes. And so, did Joseph and Eleazar. Before our lives fade into oblivion and the activities of our lives are represented by just a dash, we must do something now. We can determine what the dash on our tombstone will signify by making our life count for the Lord.   

Ever thought of what will happen to the people who matter to us, when you depart from this earth? Will they continue to serve the Lord and experience His goodness all the days of their life? What sort of legacy are we leaving behind? To make an impact, let us live and love the best way we know how. We must also learn as much as we can, then let us leave a rich legacy behind like Joshua did. 

Joshua 24:16-28 – Living a life of consecration

Being discerning and completely apprised of one’s situation is so needful. Why? It’s because it will help us to make the right decision and then to move in the right direction in life. Joshua had ably painted for the Israelites their whole journey so far and how God had helped them to arrive at where they were. Here in these closing verses, Joshua could sense that the critical moment had arrived. He knew that it was the time to call for a response. It was the right time for the people to consecrate themselves. So, right there at Shechem, he issued a very compelling challenge in those closing moments.  The people, on the other hand, could also sense that it was time they should consecrate themselves to the Lord. So, in verses 16-28, they heartily responded to the call and swore their allegiance to God.

To hear something needful is important, but it is more important to understand it and know its implication. This is what happened to the people of Israel at this point. They had heard attentively all that Joshua had said and could understand the drift of his message. They could see how foolish it would be to serve other gods when the one and only true God had been so gracious to them. It would be incredulous if they still chose to serve other gods after all the things God had done for them. Seeing that it was the goodness of God that had brought them to where they were, they then voiced their resolve in verses 16-18. In one unison voice, they declared their allegiance to God. Is the Lord our choice today? If we have not automatically given Him our time, our talent, our love, and attention, and our all, then our allegiance to Him will be called into question. Where is God in the priority of our life?  

In Joshua 24:19-23. Joshua waived into his challenge a reminder of the righteousness and holiness of God. It was to this holy and righteous God that they had sworn their allegiance. He knew that knowing the true nature of God would help them to stay true to their commitment and allegiance. He told them that if they served Him with integrity, He would bless them. The opposite would also be just as true. If they renege and turn to worship and serve other gods, they would have to pay an inexplicable price. Precisely, because God is holy and righteous, such that He will not tolerate our sin and irresponsible living. Disobedience has consequences. Remember what the Apostle Paul has reminded us in Galatians 6:7? If we sow to the wind, we will reap a whirlwind. But if we sow to God, we will reap holiness and righteousness. We always reap what we sow.

To help them remember their resolution, Joshua set up a memorial. It was a kind of monument that would be a constant reminder to them of the commitment and pledge they had made to God. Why have a monument in life? It is something to hold us accountable. A monument will also keep us in check should we stray from the pledge that we have made to God. It is good to keep some kinds of memento to remind us of the promise we have made to God. Ever thought of having an accountability partner? Someone who will keep us in check and ensure that we do not stray from our commitment. Being in a small group of trusted people is a good way to stay accountable. We all need trusted companions on our divine journey who will hold us accountable to God. Find an accountability group or a partner today! You will definitely be helped.   

Joshua 24:14-15 - Following God demands a price

There can be no neutral ground when it comes to serving God. One is to serve Him wholehearted. And Joshua knew that well. We are to serve God with our all. There are three clear pieces of evidence that will show that we are total with and for God. Joshua 24:14 shows us that there must be the element of reverential fear. Then there must be a willingness to put away everything that hinders our total allegiance to Him. Finally, there must be a willingness to serve Him with sincerity and honesty.

In the previous verses, Joshua had shown the children of Israel all the privileges that God had accorded to them. It was He who had initiated the move to make them His people and protected them all the way with His power. Besides, He had granted them the favor of His presence and also met all their essential needs with his untold provisions. In the light of all that God had done for them, the only appropriate response ought to be a wholesome honor of the Lord. It is a healthy respect for God that brings about a deep reverential fear for Him. This kind of fear is not the same as the trepidation that a person has in anticipation of punishment. It is the desire that one has for not wanting to break the heart of God or do anything that would offend Him. When we have a proper and correct view of God, we will intuitively respect Him. Reverential fear is the natural consequence of our experiential knowledge of God. The fear we have for God will result in our willingness to serve Him.

To revere God rightly and serve Him honourably, there is a need to put away any hindrance that can come between our relationship with Him. For the people of Israel, they must put away the pagan gods of their ancestors. They must also put away the idols that they had adopted while in bondage in Egypt. For us, it is those things that we devotedly embraced before we give our life to the Lord Jesus Christ. We must put them away and keep no trace of any of them in our life. There must be a complete severance with those ungodly allegiance we have in our past.  

God desires sincere service. He resents a half-hearted, insincere and nonchalant worship. The word sincere means to come to God wholeheartedly, completely and with integrity. In Latin, this same word sincere means without wax. It is taken from the context of people in the business of selling pots. To cover up a crack in a pot, a dishonest dealer would use wax to camouflage it. The crack can only be detected in sunlight. To serve God sincerely and honestly is a call to serve without hypocrisy. We must render to God worship and service that is without wax. There must be no projection of the false.

Joshua knew that serving God in sincerity is a choice. So, He set the example. His commitment is this, “…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Like him, we all have a free moral choice. God did not make us robots that would instinctively obey Him. Serving God is a choice we are free to make. To twist our arms and force us to serve Him would violate our free will. And Joshua knew that well. Hence, he told the Israelites to decide. Today, we also stand in the same situation as the people of Israel did at Shechem. The choice to serve God is also ours to make. This is a choice we have the capacity to make. What will you choose? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord! 

Joshua 24:1-13 – Remember God’s grace in our life

The nation of Israel had come to the point where they had settled in. Each tribe had received their inheritance. Their enemies were either pushed back or kept at bay. Joshua had warned the elders and leaders not to be complacent and told them vehemently never to compromise. What he challenged them to do was to cling and stay committed to the Lord. Their future was looking good. And this was certainly a good time to consolidate, align and build their future. However, if they were not careful, this could also be the most dangerous time of their life.

Joshua also knew that everything they had attained with the help of God could be destroyed by their carelessness. He knew that they had the tendency to forget what the Lord had done for them. Like everyone else, they could develop amnesia and overlook where they came from and where they would have been. In their state of wonderment, they might become oblivious to the looming forces that were waiting to get them if they should let down their guard. While this was a time to rejoice, it was also a time to stay alert. There was the need for them to decide what sort of a future they desire with the Lord. It would spell danger if the mission of their future with God was not carefully thought through and mapped out. The attainment of the destiny one hopes for must begin with the first step in the right direction. A false start would take them where they wouldn’t want to go. As it was for them so it will also be for us. 

So wisely Joshua assembled the elders, the leaders, and people from every tribe at Shechem. He then led them into a time of reflection and recollection of what the Lord had done for them. The purpose of this exercise was to help them remember where they came from and where they could have been, had the Lord not intervened in their circumstances. Like them, we too need to programme into our lives, times for periodical introspection. This exercise will help us to keep our life in check and align.  

Tracing their history as God’s people Joshua showed them how privileged they were. In short, God had granted their forefathers the privilege of experiencing His power, His presence, and His provision. From the time God called their forefathers from the pagan society of Terah, from Abraham to Isaac and Jacob, God had been gracious. When the children of Israel went to Egypt and came under Pharaoh’s bondage, God sent Moses and Aaron to their rescue. All along their journey and in every difficult turn of event, God was gracious and delivered them from their enemies. Even when they had been disobedient God had been more than magnanimous to them. God had a hand in every victory they experienced. He was the one who had driven the enemies out of Canaan to give them their inheritance. Joshua’s recollection of the exploits God had granted them was to help them to be humble and show gratitude toward God. Like them, it is also good for us to set time aside ever so often to recall all that God through Jesus has done for us. It will help to keep us humble, grateful, loyal and faithful. Whether we know it or not, God has a hand in every victory we experience in life. We must be forever grateful to Him.     

Joshua 23:1-16 – The call to embrace the fullness of God

Joshua, through his godly leadership, had helped the children of Israel to possess the land of Canaan. By this time, he was old and advanced in years. His death seemed imminent. He knew how easy it was to become complacent when inundated with activities and so to lose one’s direction in life. So, before he stepped off the stage of life, he wanted to share his heart with the people whom he had led so far. Therefore, two meetings to address the people was set up. The first one, recorded in Joshua 23, was to address the elders and the leaders. The second, recorded in Joshua 24, involved all the people as well.

Joshua’s burning desire was to see the people stay true to God. So, he admonished them to stay serious with the Lord. He was calling them to remain steadfastly committed and faithful in their walk with God. We know what was foremost on his mind by his sharing. The last two chapters capture the concerns of Joshua’s heart. By musing over his concerns, we too could be profoundly instructed on the will and desires of God for us as much as He had for Israel, His people.  

Joshua was primarily concerned for them in three areas. Firstly, he was afraid that the people would become complacent and neglect the instruction of the Lord. This is clearly seen in his admonition in the first three words of verses 6. He said to them “Be very firm….” It is true that changes would take place in one’s life journey. New circumstances will be faced with each progress. But being faithful to the Lord and His Word must never shift. This is what will keep us stay true to the course with God. Complacency is one the thing that can stumble our walk with God. The primary reason why we do not attain a victorious life is not failure but our complacency. Our inability to attain the life we ought to live can be traced to our willingness to live below our capability. Let us not become lukewarm like the Laodicean Christians described in the book of Revelation.

In verse 7, we can see secondly that Joshua was concerned that the people would compromise and adopt the practices of the people in Canaan. He told them in no uncertain term that “you will not associate with these nations, these which remain among you, or mention the name of their gods, or make anyone swear by them, or serve them, or bow down to them.” Compromise is what often shatters one’s dream. And unfortunately, the children of Israel compromised and adopted pagan practices as they journeyed along. They did what Joshua feared. This is a lesson for us. We must take heed and remember that while we live in this world, we must not live according to the value and system of the world. Remember Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”  

Thirdly, Joshua was also concerned about their commitment. He knew a key to their being faithful to God would be their commitment to Him. So, in verse 8 he said to them, “But you are to cling to the Lord your God….” This is also a word for us too. We must also cling to the Lord. And to help them and us remain committed to God, Joshua gave a challenge found in verses 9-16. What do these verses tell us today? In essence, these verses remind us that graciousness is just one aspect of God and that there are other aspects that we must not forget. We must not forget that He is also a God of wrath. While we acknowledge God’s grace, we must not soft-pedal the aspect of His wrath. Thus, we must seek to know and embrace God in all His fullness. We must bring into focus the fullness of the Lord so that we will walk before Him with reverential fear all the days of our life. Love Him and fear Him!   

Joshua 22:11-34 – Handling and preventing misunderstanding

Joshua 22:10-34 is a good passage to learn concerning handling and preventing misunderstanding, the great advocate for disunity. Misunderstanding creates strife for brethren and prevents harmonious and peaceful co-existence. It is often caused by a lack of communication, presumption, and a failure to clarify. Thankfully, for the nation of Israel, it was resolved through the willingness to sit down, reasonably discuss and understanding the rationale and perspective of the other party’s decision.

When the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh took possession of the land east of Jordan, they built an altar. They did it without making their intention known to the rest of the tribes that had settled in the land of Canaan. Not making their intenti0n known to the remaining nine and a half tribes caused the latter to conclude wrongly. They presumed that those two and a half tribes had reneged. So, in verse 16 we see their strong but wrong rebuke released upon the two and a half tribes. They said, ‘What is this unfaithful act which you have committed against the God of Israel, turning away from following the Lord this day, by building yourselves an altar, to rebel against the Lord this day.” This is being presumptuous. They assumed that they were unfaithful and had built an altar to foreign gods. They remembered two incidences in the past that brought great disrepute to the nation. One was the situation when they were led astray by Balaam at Peor. This incidence is recorded in Numbers 22-23. The other situation, recorded in Joshua 7, was when Achan kept a banned article and caused Israel to be defeated in their battle with Ai.       

Fortunately, the tribes from the west of Jordan were wise to confront the situation directly with the two and a half tribes east of Jordan. This upfront dialogue provided an opportunity for them to explain their perspective. The tribes in the east of Jordan had a healthy reason for doing what they did. Their intention was clear. The altar was supposed to be a unifying object between them living in the east of Jordan and their brethren living in the west. It was not intended to be an altar of sacrifice. For they did not want the River Jordan to be a barrier between them. So, they replicated the altar seen at the Tabernacle so as to remind them and future generation of their kinship with the rest of Israel. They did it with good intention and implored the Lord to be their witness. A misunderstanding was averted and the relationship between the tribes continued to exist peacefully. What they said made sense and brought great relief to the tribes in the land of Canaan. So, the misunderstanding was peacefully resolved.   

Here are four critical factors to ensure harmonious relationship in our co-laboring:

1.              Stay faithful in our relationship with God and our fellow brethren.

2.             Make known intentions clearly to avoid others from second-guessing our intent.

3.             Refuse to presume without finding out the real reason.     

4.             Engage in needful dialogues to understand perspectives.

Joshua 22:1-9 – Keep the finishing line in focus

In Joshua 22:1-9, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half a tribe of Manasseh were summoned by Joshua and commended for keeping their words. While on their journey into the promised land, they saw a good pasture land in the east of Jordan. Since they had lots of sheep, they wanted to settle in the land. Moses told them they could have it only if they would first help their brethren in the other tribes to conquer Canaan. Then they could return to possess the land they had requested. They had kept their words and helped the other tribes to subdue the land of Canaan. So, Joshua allowed them to return to possess their inheritance. Here, we learn the need to keep our words. We must let our words be our bond. Ability to keep what we have promised is an indication of our integrity. We are only as good as our words.  The Lord Jesus tells us that we should make sure our yes is yes, and our no is no. Anything else would be needless and excessive. So, let’s be people of our words.

Joshua was a God-fearing man. As a leader, he cared for his followers. He did not only care when they were in his presence, but he also made it his business to ensure that they would not fall into errors in his absence. At this point in time, he was advanced in years and aware that he did not have much time. Before he broke camp, he wanted to ensure that the people of Israel would stay the course with God. He wanted to remind them to be faithful to the Lord who had brought them into the promised land. His purpose was to help them remember the glory of the Lord, whom they served. This would ensure that they keep the work of God vibrant. So here he warned them of three things they ought to look out for.

Firstly, he admonished them not to be complacent. He was afraid that the people would take the law of God for granted. So, in the first part of verse 5, he exhorted them to “be very careful to observe the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the Lord commanded you….” Like the children of Israel, self-centeredness and self-absorption can also be the two common maladies of today. It is true that many, even believers of today, do have a short concentration span. They are quickly attracted by the fads of this world. If we are to finish our journey with distinction, we need to stay focused and remain true to the Word of the Lord. We should never neglect but to study and search God’s inspired Word, that can make us wise to the way of salvation. Through them, we will learn to walk in God’s righteous ways.  

Secondly, he exhorted them not to compromise. So, he told them to love the Lord their God and walk in all His ways and keep His commandments. Just like the Israelites, the world with its many voices is also vying for our attention. If our eyes are not fixed on Jesus, the author, and perfecter of our faith, we may run into the tendency of running aimlessly in different directions. We must make it our objective to stay the course and not allow anything to distract us from our mission.

Thirdly, he challenged them into a deeper commitment. Joshua was afraid that they would relax in their fervency and not fully embrace the Lord as they should. Remember what Jesus said, he who sets his hand on the plough and looks back is not worthy of the kingdom. Let’s stay committed and do what the last part of verse 5 exhorts us to do, to “…hold fast to Him and serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.”