Tag Archives: Poem devotional

EXODUS 13 REMEMBRANCE OF GOD’S DELIVERANCE

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June 1

EXODUS 13

11 “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” – Exodus 13:11-16

EXODUS 13 REMEMBRANCE OF GOD’S DELIVERANCE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The Lord brought the Israelites out of the land of slavery

He wants his people to never forget this day of deliverance

God wanted all the firstborn males both animals and man as sacrifice

They must all be offered to him so they won’t forget God’s goodness

This was a condition to recall how God rescued them out of Egypt

It was a reminder how he saved his people from their cruelty.

Why was it important for God to require the Israelites the offering of the firstborn? It was a reminder for them how the Egyptians idolized their firstborns. This was why God killed all their firstborns. He didn’t want his own people to follow the idolatry practiced by the Egyptians. The Lord separated his people from them and they are not to follow the ways of the wicked. When they offer the firstborns to God, they will be reminded of the wonderful deeds that God brought about so they can be freed from the slavery of sin.

It is essential for all believers to never forget the miracles and how he punished evil ways of the Egyptians. Even in our present lives, it is important for us to remember how God has freed us from our flesh and sins through the perfect sacrifice of the firstborn, Jesus.

REFLECTION

  • What happens when we don’t recall the wonderful deeds of God’s deliverance?

EXODUS 12 THE DECREE OF THE PASSOVER

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May 30

EXODUS 12

43 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “This is the statute of the Passover: no foreigner shall eat of it, 44 but every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him. 45 No foreigner or hired worker may eat of it. 46 It shall be eaten in one house; you shall not take any of the flesh outside the house, and you shall not break any of its bones. 47 All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. 48 If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. 49 There shall be one law for the native and for the stranger who sojourns among you.” 50 All the people of Israel did just as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt by their hosts.

                                                                   – Exodus 12:43-51

EXODUS 12 THE DECREE OF THE PASSOVER

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

The Lord God instituted the Passover and made a decree of it

No foreigner or hired worker may eat of the meal

Unless a bought slave has been circumcised, he cannot partake

It shall be eaten in one house and not take any flesh outside    

There shall be no bones broken from the lamb

All Israelites shall keep these bones with them

Strangers who come can only partake if all males are circumcised

Then they can be allowed to come and be part of the Passover.

In 1 Corinthians 5:7-8, we can surmise why the Passover is very important for us all Christians.  It says “7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” The Passover meal is a foreshadowing of the coming of Christ, the perfect lamb of God. It may seem like a ritual for the Israelites, but it is to commemorate the sacrifice that Christ was going to go through in order for all those who believe in him to have a clean slate again and be freed from sins’ shackles.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think foreigners and hired workers were prohibited to partake of the Passover unless they were circumcised?

EXODUS 12 GOD’S PEOPLE LEAVES EGYPT

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 May 29

EXODUS 12

37 And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 A mixed multitude also went up with them, and very much livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough that they had brought out of Egypt, for it was not leavened, because they were thrust out of Egypt and could not wait, nor had they prepared any provisions for themselves. 40 The time that the people of Israel lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. 42 It was a night of watching by the Lord, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; so this same night is a night of watching kept to the Lord by all the people of Israel throughout their generations. – Exodus 12:37-42

EXODUS 12 GOD’S PEOPLE LEAVES EGYPT

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

After the death of the firstborns in Egypt, the Israelites left Egypt

They stayed in that place for 430 years as slaves to Pharaoh

This last plague finally made the king decide to let them go

It was a night of watching over them as God led them in their Exodus

The Israelites were set free from the slavery of Pharaoh and the Egyptians

They were led by the Lord of Hosts himself to the land he promised Abraham.

In this account we see God’s faithfulness in multiplying his people from the time he called Abraham out of Ur. Just in 200 years, they have multiplied so much.

In a commentary by Cole, he discusses a few ideas that would make the number 600,000 much less, such as saying that thousand really means clan and that 600 extended family-clams left Egypt. By the time they reached Canaan, they were certainly a sizable horde (to use the historian’s term), judging from the archaeological impact on Canaanite civilization.

Can you imagine 600,000 men on foot plus their wives and children? That must have been over a million counting the women and children with them. What a faithful God we have.

REFLECTION

·       How is it that we don’t have as many children in families nowadays as they had during the time when the Exodus happened? Has God stopped blessing us?

EXODUS 12 THE EXODUS BEGINS

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May 28

EXODUS 12

33 The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. For they said, “We shall all be dead.” 34 So the people took their dough before it was leavened, their kneading bowls being bound up in their cloaks on their shoulders. 35 The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. 36 And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus, they plundered the Egyptians. – Exodus 12:33-36

EXODUS 12 THE EXODUS BEGINS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When the Egyptians’ firstborns died, they let go of the Israelites quickly

The Israelites didn’t even have time to even leaven their doughs

They were also instructed to plunder the Egyptians and not be empty handed

So, the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt begins after the plague of the firstborns.

It is interesting how suddenly the Egyptians were shooing the Israelites away after their firstborns died. They were scared for their lives and allowed the Israelites to plunder them. In haste, the Israelites were not even able to prepare for their journey to leave Egypt. Sometimes, this was how the Lord turned upside down the status quo of their slavery. They were even sent off with gold and silver. This was all in God’s design to show off his power and make himself known to these people who didn’t want to bow down to him.

In the previous verses, Pharaoh didn’t only let them go, he commanded them to leave right away and asked Moses and Aaron to bless him as well. Could it be that he now sees that the God of the Israelites is much more powerful than he was giving him credit for? For him to ask Moses to bless him shows that he was beginning to fear for his life as he witnessed how this God can do anything with them, gives us a glimpse of him realizing the One True God is not someone he can mess with.

REFLECTION

  • What other favors did God give the Israelites as they left Egypt?
  • What do you think was going on in the minds of the Egyptians as the Israelites were leaving?

EXODUS 12 PLAGUE OF THE DEATH OF FIRSTBORNS

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May 27

EXODUS 12

29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of the livestock. 30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where someone was not dead. 31 Then he summoned Moses and Aaron by night and said, “Up, go out from among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as you have said. 32 Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone, and bless me also!” – Exodus 12:29-32

EXODUS 12 PLAGUE OF THE DEATH OF FIRSTBORNS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When the plague of the firstborn struck Egypt

Cries and wails were heard over the land

Then Moses was commanded by Pharaoh to exit Egypt

Their flocks and herds will go with them too to serve the Lord.

What a big unforgettable plague this was for the whole of Egypt. According to bibleproject.com “The Passover event is a strike not only against humans and animals but also against the gods of Egypt. We read that human choices to do evil are always intertwined with the influence and animating power of spiritual forces-spiritual beings set against God and his purposes.”

For God who created everything and own all creatures, isn’t this plague justified to punish all those who bow down to other gods? In another commentary they mentioned that the firstborns in Egypt were considered gods in each family. Isn’t it just fair that God strikes down those gods who were competing with him? We also see God’s mercy and justice at how many plagues before this plague came about that shows God was giving the Egyptians all the time to turn against idolatry and turn to him, the only One True God.

This plague is the climax of the punishment for the Egyptians before the Exodus of the Israelites. What a big dramatic event this was! It only shows God’s power and might and how he wouldn’t tolerate idolatry and wickedness in all his creatures.

REFLECTION

  • What lessons can we learn from this plague of the firstborns?

EXODUS 12 HYSSOP & BLOOD IN THE LORD’S PASSOVER

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May 26

EXODUS 12

21 Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. 23 For the Lord will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the Lord will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you. 24 You shall observe this rite as a statute for you and for your sons forever. 25 And when you come to the land that the Lord will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.28 Then the people of Israel went and did so; as the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did. – Exodus 12:21-28

EXODUS 12 HYSSOP & BLOOD IN THE LORD’S PASSOVER

In this detailed instruction of God to the Israelites, we hear of hyssop and blood mentioned. According to some commentary, “hyssop” is a small bushy plant with minty leaves which can be used in cooking. The plant has also been used for medicinal purposes. In Scripture, hyssop is a wild shrub used for purification as mentioned in Leviticus 14:6, Numbers 19:6 & 18. Scripture says how hyssop was used as a sign of spiritual cleansing especially when David mentioned it in Psalm 51:7 when he said “Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean. Enduring.com also said that in John 19:29 that the wine on the sponge that they gave to Jesus while he was on the cross was on a hyssop branch when they held it to his mouth.

Leviticus 17:11 and 14 tells us the importance of blood to God. The life of a creature is in the blood and God gave it to us so we can atone for your sins. To shed blood, a victim must be killed in place of the sinner. Blood is also used for covenant between two persons resulting in union or relationship. So, we can understand why God required lambs that were unblemished, a year old and male.

REFLECTION

  • What is the significance of spiritual cleansing in our Christian lives?

EXODUS 12 THE INSTITUTION OF THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

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May 25

EXODUS 12

14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast. 15 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. On the first day you shall remove leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day you shall hold a holy assembly, and on the seventh day a holy assembly. No work shall be done on those days. But what everyone needs to eat, that alone may be prepared by you. 17 And you shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt. Therefore you shall observe this day, throughout your generations, as a statute forever. 18 In the first month, from the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19 For seven days no leaven is to be found in your houses. If anyone eats what is leavened, that person will be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a sojourner or a native of the land. 20 You shall eat nothing leavened; in all your dwelling places you shall eat unleavened bread.” – Exodus 12:14-20

EXODUS 12 THE INSTITUTION OF THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Before the last plague of the firstborn, God instituted a feast

This memorial will be to eat unleavened bread for seven days

The removal of leaven in their household was required by the Lord

It symbolizes removing sin and corruption in their daily lives

The Lord wants his people to be pure and uncorrupted

If anyone eats leavened bread, they’ll be cut off from the flock.

The institution of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread is another manifestation of God’s protection and love for his people. Just before he will bring the last plague to Egypt, he wants those who belong to him to be cleansed and uncorrupted by sin.

According to David Guzik’s commentary, leaven was also a picture of sin and corruption, because of the way a little leaven influences a whole lump of dough, and also how it puffs up-just like pride and sin does too.

REFLECTION

  • How can a small sin affect a person’s life? What is God’s solution for this?

EXODUS 12 PASSOVER INSTRUCTIONS

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May 24

EXODUS 12

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. 3 Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. 4 And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, 6 and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. 7 “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. 8 They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. 9 Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. 10 And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. 11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. – Exodus 12:1-13

EXODUS 12 PASSOVER INSTRUCTIONS

In this account, we witness a God of details. He laid out clear instructions for the Israelites to follow so that they will be protected when God destroys Egypt. He knows their limitations, so he adjusts accordingly. We serve a wise God who knows all our needs. Notice how he required a lamb without blemish. He wants purity in all his people. He is also required to share the lamb with their neighbor if the household is smaller. Charles Spurgeon comments that “The paschal lamb was not killed in order to be looked at only, but to be eaten; and our Lord Jesus Christ has not been slain merely that we may hear about him and talk about him, and think about him, but that we may feed upon him.”

REFLECTION

  • What does the Passover mean for us Christians today?

EXODUS 11 WARNING ON THE DEATH OF FIRSTBORN

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May 22

EXODUS 11

The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” 3 And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.4 So Moses said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, 5 and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.– Exodus 11:1-5

EXODUS 11 WARNING ON THE DEATH OF FIRSTBORN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

After many times Pharaoh was given a warning to release God’s people

His heart continued to harden because it was all in God’s plan and timing

This last warning was to give Pharaoh notice of all the death of firstborn

After this, the king will eventually yield to release the Israelites.

We witness here God’s sovereignty to execute his plan on how his people will exit Egypt. They will not be empty-handed when they leave. Even though Pharaoh’s heart was hard, his servants knew that the Lord of Moses is much more powerful than any of their other gods. They wanted to be free from the worst punishment that God was going to inflict, but it was too late because their king was foolish not to see the power of the God of the Israelites. The Egyptians gave all their silver and gold to the Israelites to send them off so they can be spared of death, but it was too late. They had no idea that it was already the last plague announced with the killing of the firstborn. This was how God avenged his people from their abuses and over working and mistreating the Israelites.

REFLECTION

  • How did God avenge his people from the cruelty and wickedness of the Egyptians as narrated in these verses?

EXODUS 10 THE PLAGUE OF DARKNESS

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May 21

EXODUS 10

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived. 24 Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” 27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go. 28 Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.” 29 Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”

                                                                   – Exodus 10:21-29

EXODUS 10 THE PLAGUE OF DARKNESS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

After the plague of locusts, the Lord God brought about the plague of darkness

Three days of pitch black surrounded the whole land of Egypt

No one can see each other and no one can move from where they were

The Israelites have light where they lived, but Egypt was in total darkness.

Can you imagine how debilitating this plague was? It is like being blind for three days and everyone else around you cannot see as well. You can’t eat, work, play or do anything. In this plague the Lord God gives the Egyptians a glimpse of how life is without God who is the source of light and light himself as 1 John 1:5 says.

Unbelievers live literally and figuratively in darkness. The absence of God in their lives makes them have no ability to see the spiritual or unseen forces around them. They fall into traps because there is no one truly guiding them. Unlike unbelievers, those who have faith in God are given the light which comes from his word. It is the lamp that lights their path and makes them follow the only way that leads to everlasting life.

REFLECTION

  • Can a Christian live in spiritual darkness? Why or why not?