Read Exodus 39-40

As The Lord Had Commanded Moses

Fourteen times in the final two chapters of Exodus, this exact phrase appears: “As the Lord had commanded Moses.” There are at least two other times that a similar phrase is used. It is a testimony to the Lord’s ability to relay understandable commands, to Moses’ ability to relay those commands to the people, and the people’s willingness to follow the leader God had chosen for them.

Moses writes, “According to all that the Lord had commanded Moses, so the children of Israel did all the work” (Exodus 39:42). How much was neglected by Moses and the children of Israel in what God had commanded? Nothing was ignored. They did “all that the Lord had commanded Moses”! Brother Tom L. Bright used to tell his students in preaching school, “You can’t get ‘aller’ than all!” They either did it all, or they didn’t, and Moses said they did!

The final verse of the chapter reads, “Then Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it; as the Lord had commanded, just so they had done it. And Moses blessed them” (Exodus 39:43). A couple of very important things are revealed here.

First, Moses inspected the work. He examined it closely to be sure that it was “as the Lord had commanded.” He understood the command, and he had relayed it faithfully to the workers, and they followed the instructions to the letter. That’s important.

Second, notice what Moses did after finding that the children of Israel had faithfully obeyed: “And Moses blessed them.” He took the time to examine it, and he took the time to encourage them! It is important to recognize the efforts of those who are hard workers in the church and to thank them for their labors. They are not working for praise, but it never hurts to show appreciation for a job well done.

Paul thanked God for the church in Thessalonica for their “work of faith,” among other things (1 Thessalonians 1:2-3). Moses likewise blessed those who had put so much effort into the tabernacle and priestly garments because of their diligence and precision to the Lord’s command.

Read Exodus 35:4-36:7

Much More Than Enough

After relaying God’s instructions to the people concerning the building of the tabernacle, Moses said to the people, “Whoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord” (Exodus 35:5). How willing were the children of Israel? “So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning” (Exodus 36:3). The artisans were so overwhelmed by what the people brought that they had to ask Moses to prevent any further offerings! “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the Lord commanded us to do” (Exodus 36:5).

Take a moment to reflect on what you have offered to the Lord. Think about your financial sacrifices, your time commitments, and the talents that you have volunteered to His work. How willingly have you given to Him? Have you ever been asked to stop?

The first-century Christians faced trying times, and there were occasions of great financial needs in the church. Paul lifted up the church in Macedonia as an example in giving toward those needs, writing “that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality” (2 Corinthians 8:2).

How was it that an impoverished church could be so liberal in giving? The answer is found in their attitude! “For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God” (2 Corinthians 8:3-5).

The church in Macedonia wanted to help their brethren because they loved God and they had given themselves to God. In turn, God had blessed them with the ability to give beyond what they had even expected.

What is your attitude toward giving to the Lord’s work? Is it generous? Purposeful? Cheerful? This is the attitude that we should have, according to the inspired apostle Paul.

Give as much as you can of your financial blessings, your time, and your abilities. Make it your goal to give “much more than enough.”

Read Exodus 18

The Wisdom in Delegation

When Moses’ father-in-law Jethro came to visit, he saw the amount of stress Moses was taking upon himself. Jethro gave Moses some advice: let somebody help you! Leading the people as Moses had been doing was sure to lead to disaster, but by involving other men, he could avoid the burnout that was sure to come.

Jethro also instructed Moses to select a certain type of person to help. He should not just randomly hand out assignments, but look for those who are “able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness” (Exodus 18:21). Further, Jethro did not tell Moses to do this without first consulting God, but said, “If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace” (Exodus 18:23). Ensuring that God approved of this procedure was of utmost importance, and Jethro knew that.

We see the very same thing happen in the early days of the church in the New Testament. The church was growing rapidly, and problems arose, so the apostles told the people to select “seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). The apostles understood the wisdom in delegation. There were problems that needed to be addressed but did not necessarily need constant apostolic attention or oversight. Other men could handle the task.

Notice again that the apostles did not want just anyone involved in this work, but men who were mature and responsible. It is the same when it comes to deacons. Paul gave Timothy a list of qualities that a man should possess before he is entrusted to serve in the capacity of a deacon (1 Timothy 3:8-13).

The common thread in these three situations is the wisdom of delegation. There is simply too much for one man to effectively do everything, and others must be involved in doing the Lord’s work. It was true in Moses’ day, and in the days of the early church, and it is true in this twenty-first century. There is wisdom in delegation.

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”?