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EXODUS 16 ON GRUMBLING ISRAELITES & GOD’S RESPONSE

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June 12

EXODUS 16

They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. 2 And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness, 3 and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.”  – Exodus 16:1-5

EXODUS 16 ON GRUMBLING ISRAELITES & GOD’S RESPONSE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As the people moved deeper into the wilderness between Elim and Sinai

Hunger began to consume the Israelites and they began to grumble

They regretted leaving Egypt where they didn’t go hungry

Even though they were enslaved in oppressive labor, they were nourished

So, God’s response to this was the promise of bread from heaven

But it was also a test for the Israelites to depend on his provision.

It is interesting what hunger can to us humans. There is now a condition called “hangry” which is irritability and anger due to having an empty stomach. According to researchers there is a link between hunger and irritability due to low levels of blood sugar and the hormones released as a result. Could it be that this was true as well among the Israelites during their journey in the wilderness?

Food is one of our basic needs, but when it becomes the reason for living, it becomes an addiction. In the case of the Israelites, they have forgotten that they were oppressed and forced to do hard labor. Because of the scarcity of food during their journey, they began to imagine how it was when they had food despite the harsh treatment they got from the Egyptians. The lust of the flesh overtook them and they forgot what God did for them.

REFLECTION

  • Share how hunger could make us grumble and affect our walk with God.

EXODUS 15 FEAR OF THE WORLD VERSUS FEAR OF THE LORD

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June 9

EXODUS 15


13 “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;
    you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 The peoples have heard; they tremble; pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed; trembling seizes the leaders of Moab;
    all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. 16 Terror and dread fall upon them;
    because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone,

   till your people, O Lord, pass by, till the people pass by whom you have purchased.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain,
    the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode,
    the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.
18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.  – Exodus 15:13-18

EXODUS 15 FEAR OF THE WORLD VERSUS FEAR OF THE LORD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When the news of the extermination of the Egyptians spread around

The people of Canaan, Philistia, Moab and Edom trembled

Because of the Lord’s punishment on Egypt, they were all afraid

They heard how the Israelites were rescued from the Egyptians

They were terrorized by the power of this God whom they do not know

And the people of God continued to praise the Lord for what he had done.

When terror grips a person, it makes him freeze, panic, run or immobilize. It is interesting how these ungodly people feared that they may be the next nation to be exterminated after the Egyptians. They didn’t know the power of the God of the Israelites. The gods they serve cannot do these things.  Only the One true God can do these wondrous deeds.  They are now trembling in fear of what might happen to them. There is so much confusion, chaos and unrest among the unbelieving nations.

On the other hand, the Israelites had a different fear. They saw how God faithfully delivered them from the Egyptians. The wondrous deeds of God must have added to the reverence and honor they ought to give their God.

REFLECTION

  • How was the fear of the unbelievers different from God’s people?

EXODUS 15 WHO IS LIKE THE LORD

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June 8

EXODUS 15

8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
    the floods stood up in a heap;

    the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
    I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
    I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them;

    they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?

      Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
    awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand;
    the earth swallowed them.  – Exodus 15:8-12

EXODUS 15 WHO IS LIKE THE LORD

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Is there anyone else who is like the Lord?

Who can bring a strong wind and lift up the sea?

Who can put up the waters and make it into walls?

Can anyone blow the wind and annihilate an army of men?

No other gods can be majestic in holiness and power like the Lord

No one else’s right hand can have such an ability to destroy.

This account is a part of the song of Moses which he wrote so that the Israelites will always remember how they were delivered from the Egyptians at the Red Sea. It magnifies the Lord’s majestic powers and glory.

Moses lifts up and exalts the Lord so that the Israelites can continue to rejoice and be glad that they were rescued from slavery and death. What is great about this part of his song is how he points out that no one else can be like God. No one else can do such miracles and no one else can save them from the enemy like God can. Moses wants them to never forget what God has done for them.

REFLECTION

·       How has God manifested his glory and power in your life?

EXODUS 15 THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH & MY SONG

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June 7

EXODUS 15

Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
    the horse and his riderhe has thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a man of war; the Lord is his name.

4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea,
    and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
5 The floods covered them; they went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,

your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;
    you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.

                                                                   – Exodus 15:1-7

EXODUS 15 THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH & MY SONG

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When I am faced with adversities and attacks from the foe

I will not fear for the Lord is my strength and my song

The Lord will fight for me and shatter those who hurt me

He will bring his fury and wrath to all those bring injustice

I will praise the Lord; he will save his people and bring down the foe

His right hand will consume all the tactics and plots of the evil one

I will sing and praise the Lord who is full of majesty and glory

He is the only source of strength and triumph over the enemy.

In this song of Moses, we hear how he praised, worshiped and sang to edify and glorify the Lord. Right after the Israelites were delivered from the Egyptians and everything that God did for them was still very fresh in their hearts and minds, Moses composed this song so they could express their joy and thankfulness to God for all that he did for them to be freed from the enemy. They wanted to please the Lord for his wondrous deeds for them.

REFLECTION

  • Why was it important that Moses wrote this song after their deliverance?

EXODUS 14 EXTERMINATION OF THE EGYPTIANS

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June 6

EXODUS 14

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

                                                                   – Exodus 14:26-31

EXODUS 14 EXTERMINATION OF THE EGYPTIANS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As the people of God headed towards the Promised Land

The Egyptians pursued them to get retrieve them as slaves

But God asked Moses to stretch his hands once again

It was to let the walls of water return back to the dry land

As the Egyptians fled into the waters, they were all drowned

The water covered the chariots and not one Egyptian remained.

This scene is another dramatic display of God’s power. We learn of how much God hates sin and abusers and those who hurt his people. The Egyptians were given so much warning before the plagues were brought about but it did not bring them on their knees to worship the Lord. They now witness what the God of the Israelites was truly like. By the time they realized it, it was too late. God had brought about his judgment on them already and they were all exterminated at the same place that the Lord had led his people to cross towards the Promised Land. This is how God loves his people so much and what lengths he would go to protect and preserve them.

REFLECTION

  • Share a time when God displayed his protection and power over your life.

EXODUS 14 THE ISRAELITES FEARED & GRUMBLED

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June 4

EXODUS 14

10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

                                                                   – Exodus 14:10-18

EXODUS 14 THE ISRAELITES FEARED & GRUMBLED

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When the Egyptians came to pursue the Israelites

God’s people were terribly afraid and grumbled to Moses

They feared that they were going to die in the wilderness

But Moses assured them that that will be the last they’ll see them.

When the Israelites saw that the Egyptians were out to get them, they regretted leaving Egypt. They thought their lives were better off when they were slaves to them because they feared that they would die in their hands. It is very easy for us humans to start grumbling when we feel danger around us just like these Israelites did. We panic when we don’t know what’s next to happen in the midst of danger. When we are in the midst of adversities, we try to think of times when we are comfortable and convenient. We go back to those times instead of moving forward and depending on where God takes us to.

REFLECTION

  • How can we avoid panicking and grumbling when we are in the midst of trials?

EXODUS 14 PHARAOH PURSUES THE ISRAELITES

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June 3

EXODUS 14

Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

                                                                   – Exodus 14:1-9

EXODUS 14 PHARAOH PURSUES THE ISRAELITES

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

As the Israelites left Egypt towards the wilderness

God hardens Pharaoh’s heart and he pursues them

The king had no idea that God was planning this all along

It was to make Egyptians know that he is the one true God

The Egyptians came after the Israelites with all their chariots

They have no clue what was about to happen to them all.

In this account, we are given a glimpse of the powerlessness of humans and God’s total sovereignty and power. It shows us that we have no control over anything. God has control over our mind, hearts, body and soul. God manifests his wondrous deeds in this event to ensure that the Egyptians and also the Israelites will know who the One true God is. It seems like a script where the only one who knows the ending is the playwright and the only one who can kill and bring to life any characters he desires.

REFLECTION

  • What can we learn from this account?

EXODUS 13 THE LONGER WAY TOWARDS THE WILDERNESS

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June 2

EXODUS 13

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” 20 And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.  – Exodus 13:17-22

EXODUS 13 THE LONGER WAY TOWARDS THE WILDERNESS

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

After the Egyptians released the Israelites, God led his people

He told them to take the long route towards the Red Sea

This will prevent them from witnessing the Philistines’ wars

God didn’t want them to get discouraged and go back to Egypt

The Lord provided them with the pillar of cloud during the day

And at night, a pillar of fire covered them so they can see in the dark

They also took Joseph’s bones with them as his sons swore to him

They moved from Succoth and encamped in the wilderness at Etham.

The Lord didn’t lead the Israelites towards the easy and faster way, but towards the wilderness. He didn’t want them to witness the terrible wars in the land of the Philistines for it might discourage them and lead them back to Egypt. Isn’t this very true to us humans? When we experience conflicts and adversities, we back out and look for an easier way out. In the long journey, God never left them. He provided pillars of cloud and fire to ensure they are provided and protected.

The Israelites also brought with them Joseph’s bone as a fulfilment of his request to be out of Egypt too when God visits them.

REFLECTION

  • Why isn’t the shorter way always the best option when following a direction?

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?