Devotion
Afraid or in love?
David Jacobs
Do you think that you have ever witnessed a miracle? Picture yourself in Moses' time: you would have witnessed plague after plague, one unexplainable miracle after another (and still the Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go). How did the witnesses to these miracles feel? Afraid. In the Old Testament, much of the miracles that God performs are meant to make the witnesses fearful and obedient. God parts the Red Sea, finally allowing the Israelites to escape to freedom and in turn killing many of the Egyptians. When the Israelites saw this, "the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses." (Exodus 14:31) Are you fearful of God or not?
There is one major difference between the Old and New Testaments: God sent His son, Jesus, to live amongst us, to better understand us, and to save us. We have talked about the miracles of the Old Testament and how they typically strike fear into witnesses. Ponder the miracles of the New Testament: Jesus heals people, feeds people, even resurrects a person! How would you react to witnessing these events? The differences in the Old and New Testament God and the miracles that were performed in each allow us to get a better understanding of God's desires for us. He certainly wants us to obey and follow Him, but he no longer wanted to do it through fear. He sent Jesus to convey his message in a way that would not strike fear in our hearts.
In these verses, a final miracle occurs, with God allowing Moses to part the Red Sea so that the Israelites could escape and stop the Egyptians. It struck fear in the witnesses but it allowed for the ancestors of Christ to survive, to remain obedient and devout, so that the most important messenger, God' son Jesus Christ, could relay God's word so that we could all understand.
Prayer
Abba Father, precious Lord, I am amazed at your power and grace. I thank you for allowing me to understand your message in a way that other believers have not had the opportunity, understanding the sacrifice that you and your son, Jesus Christ, made for me. I pray that you grant me the wisdom to better understand your word, to better convey your word to others, and have the bravery to share it with those that need it the most. I pray all of this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Devotion
We will Do It
Why do you obey
Frances Taylor
Moses came down from the mountain and told the people what the Lord had commanded. They all said, Okay! No problem! As we shall see in a few days, that didn't last long. The Israelites said yes over and over to God, and then said, no, over and over again. So much like us! It's a good thing God forgives us over and over again. It is always interesting to read the full account of the commandments and their amplified meaning in Exodus, because it gives an idea of what the civilization was like in those days. The commandments were not all totally new as many of them were based on the code of Hammurabi. The first three commandments were new as they listed the proper behavior towards God. The other seven concerned social behavior and social structure. So, what's the difference between Hammurabi's code and the Ten Commandments other than the first three? The difference is in the why. We don't obey the commandments because they promote civility...
Morning Prayer
Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day.
Inspiration
Our mouths may be filled with all sorts; idle chatter, gossip, news, profanities or slander. Yet it would be best of all to fill it with praise and love. God gave us our voices to not only communicate, but to choose our words wisely. Don't use it to injure or babble, but to spread his gospel and praise.
Prayer
Lord Almighty I exalt your name on earth as in Heaven. Grant me the wisdom and the will to spread your name and deeds, to use my voice for beauty and truth rather than lies and disparagement. Grant me this Lord, in your holy name I pray, Amen.
