Read Exodus 14

The Way of Escape

Are you ever amazed at our God’s ability to remove seemingly insurmountable difficulties in your life? The children of Israel were trapped: the Red Sea in front of them, the powerful Egyptian army behind them. There was no escape; surely, they would perish. The people turned on Moses and accused him of treachery, saying, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11).

Moses reassured them, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will accomplish for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall see again no more forever. The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace” (Exodus 14:13-14).

God protected the children of Israel from the Egyptian army, and provided a way of escape through the Red Sea on dry land. As they crossed, “the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left” (Exodus 14:22), and as the enemy attempted to follow, God “took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty” (Exodus 14:25) and “the sea returned to its full depth” (Exodus 14:27); “the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained” (Exodus 14:28).

When you look back at the difficulties of life that you have endured, do you see God’s hand at work? Do you see Him parting your own Red Sea? Can you point to where He took the wheels off your enemy’s chariots? Of course, He does not work in such miraculous manners today, but the providence of God is absolutely at work in the lives of His faithful children.

He also provides a way to escape temptation and sin. Paul writes, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Whatever Red Sea lies before you, and whatever Egyptian army approaches from behind, God can and will take care of you if you submit to Him!

Read Exodus 8-10

Do Not Harden Your Heart

Moses confronted Pharaoh numerous times, demanding that the people of God be released. At first, they were simply asking to go worship and make offerings to the Almighty. Time after time, Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused. The request shifted from a brief respite to a full release, but Pharaoh would not listen to Moses, the servant of the Lord.

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart began before the plagues when his magicians deceived him into thinking they were as powerful as God (Exodus 7:11-13). It continued throughout the plagues, sent as punishments for his arrogant denial of God’s demands (Exodus 7:22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 12, 35; 10:20, 27).

He begged for relief from the plagues, and God repeatedly granted that relief. However, as soon as Pharaoh believed he was safe, he hardened his heart against the truth of God and denies the release of the Hebrews. Moses warned him, “But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord” (Exodus 8:29). The Egyptian ruler would not listen to the warning.

He admitted in the midst of the seventh plague, “I have sinned this time” (Exodus 9:27). This time? But not before the previous six plagues? Pharaoh continued, “The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are wicked” (Exodus 9:27). He seemed to finally understand, but we learn very quickly that he had not truly learned his lesson. Moses records, “And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, the hail, and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet more; and he hardened his heart, he and his servants” (Exodus 9:34).

The more we sin and refuse to accept the truth of God’s Word, the harder our heart becomes and the more difficult it gets to repent and obey. Pharaoh can admit his sin, but he refuses to let that sin go. That’s exactly what happens to us. We recognize our shortcomings, but in our minds, it is easier to continue in a sinful behavior than to turn ourselves completely over to God’s grace and mercy.

Do not harden your heart like Pharaoh. Turn to God’s Word, discover His will, and obey His commands. Believe in Jesus, repent of your sins, confess His name, and be immersed to have your sins washed away.

Read Exodus 8:1-15

One More Night With The Frogs

The children of Israel were afflicted by their Egyptian masters, and God chose Moses to deliver the news to Pharaoh that His people should be freed. Pharaoh refused on multiple occasions, finally relenting after the tenth plague, but even then, the Egyptian ruler tried to recapture the people.

The second plague makes for a very interesting study. Moses warns Pharaoh that if he does not follow God, then He will “smite all your territory with frogs” (Exodus 8:2). We read in the Exodus account that these frogs were everywhere in the land – in every house, in every bedroom, on every bed, even in the kitchens, in the ovens, and in the kneading bowls. They could not escape these creatures!

One of the things that is puzzling is why Egypt’s magicians worked their so-called magic “and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt” (Exodus 8:7). Would it not make more sense to get rid of the frogs that were there, rather than bring more? The magicians’ actions betray their legitimacy. They were enchanting the people (and Pharaoh in particular) with trickery, not with actual magic.

Pharaoh has had enough and calls for Moses and Aaron and begs them to plead with God to take the frogs away. The king says he will “let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord” (Exodus 8:8). Moses responds with a simple question: “When? When do you want the frogs to be taken away?” Pharaoh’s answer is dumbfounding.

“Tomorrow” (Exodus 8:10).

Why would Pharaoh want to spend one more night with these wretched, nasty, smelly nuisances? Why did he not jump on Moses’ question and scream, “Now! Please tell God to take these pests away now!”? Why did he choose to spend one more night with the frogs?

Think about it for a moment, though. Do we ever spend one more night with the frogs? We know what the Scriptures say about sin. It is poisonous. It is dangerous. It is spiritually fatal. And God offers to wash our iniquities all away, to remove sin from us, to re-establish a relationship that was severed. When shall we be cleansed? Tomorrow? Are we spending one more night with our frogs?

Read Exodus 7

Just As The Lord Commanded

How important is precision when it comes to obedience? When a child is asked to do the laundry, will mom be happy if he washes his clothes but does not dry them and put them away? Partial obedience is not true obedience, is it?

Three times in Exodus 7, we read that Moses and Aaron fully obeyed what God commanded, doing things “just as the Lord commanded” (7:6, 10, 20). What if their obedience had not been full?

Think back to Noah in Genesis 6. What if he had used materials other than the gopherwood the Lord commanded? What if the ark had measured three cubits too long or two cubits too short? What if Noah had not obeyed “just as the Lord commanded”?

People get in trouble when they only partially obey God. What happened to Lot’s wife? God told Lot and his family to leave their home, saying, “Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain” (Genesis 19:17). Lot and his family fled, but his wife did not obey “just as the Lord commanded.” Genesis 19:26, “But his wife looked back behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”

In the Lord’s parable of the sower, Jesus tells of some “who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away” (Luke 8:13). Partial obedience. Convenient obedience. Not precise obedience. Precise obedience is shown in “those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15).

It is not always easy to obey the Lord fully and precisely, but that is exactly what He desires of us. We must seek His authority in all that we say and do! Read the inspired words of Paul very carefully: “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).

Are you seeking the Lord’s will in “whatever you do”? Are you faithfully obeying His commands with precision, “just as the Lord commanded”?

Read Exodus 3:1-4:17

No Excuses

God had a job for Moses, but did you notice how many excuses he used to try to get out of his responsibility? God called his attention to the suffering of the Hebrew slaves and said that He had selected Moses to be the one to bring them out of Egypt. Rather than feeling honored, though, Moses claimed he wasn’t worthy to go before Pharaoh.

God reassures His servant that He would be with him, but Moses was not satisfied with that. He complained that he didn’t know enough about God to answer the questions of the Israelites. God answered that excuse, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Exodus 3:14).

Moses then grumbled that the Israelites would not believe him. Again, God rejected that excuse and promised to perform signs through Moses to encourage belief. Moses was still looking for a way out, though, and said, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since you have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue” (Exodus 4:10). Surely God would not send a man who had trouble speaking on such an important mission, right? Think again! “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say” (Exodus 4:11-12).

For every excuse Moses offered, God had a response. Finally, Moses pleaded for God to just send somebody else. Basically, he told God, “I don’t want to do it!” The Lord’s patience had reached its limit and “the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses” (Exodus 4:14).

How do you respond when you discover a command of God that you have not yet obeyed? Do you offer up excuses like Moses, or do you obey without delay? The Scriptures say, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

God wants to save you, but His patience has limits. Do not provoke the wrath of God when it comes to your soul. Obey what He commands!