Reading and studying the biblical book of Exodus has stoked many thoughts and insights not long enough for entire blog posts. Instead, these first appeared as Instagram posts.
ARK
But when [Jochebed] could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile.
Exodus 2:3
Ironically, Jochebed actually obeyed the king’s order by putting him in the Nile, except that she first placed him in an ark—a “tebah”—coated with pitch.
Yes, you read that correctly. Her little basket is the same word used to describe the ark that Noah built. “So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out” (Gen 6:14).
According to the Strong’s Lexicon, “In both instances, ‘tebah’ signifies a means of divine preservation and deliverance.” As God saved Noah, his family, and two of all the animals from the flood waters in an ark coated in pitch, God saved Israel’s future deliverer out of the river waters.
Likewise God has delivered us through Jesus into the safety of his kingdom and eternal life.
“Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom 7:25).
TIMING AND METHOD
When Moses was forty years old, he decided to visit his own people, the Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian, so he went to his defense and avenged him by killing the Egyptian. Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.
Acts 7:23–25
Scripture doesn’t tell us how much Moses understood about his destiny but deacon Stephen tells us Moses tried delivering his people his way and failed. Instead it took 40 years of sojourner training and a divine encounter before he was ready to lead his people. Moses had to wait for God to reveal his plan his way.
“He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush” (Acts 7:35).
May we too learn to let God decide the timing and method of our service.
FOREIGNER/SOJOURNER
Moses was a foreigner in a foreign land (Ex 2:22)—a sojourner, a temporary inhabitant lacking the rights of a citizen.
God had some directives regarding foreigners for the Israelites (for they certainly knew what it was like):
- Do not oppress or mistreat a foreigner (Ex 23:9; Lev 19:33)
- Have the same laws for foreigners as native-born (Lev 24:22; Ex 12:49: Lev 19:34)
- Love them as yourself (Dt 10:19; Lev 19:34)
- Do not deprive the foreigner of justice (Dt 24:17)
- Giving a stranger food, drink, and clothing is doing so for Jesus (Mt 25:35–40)
- God does not show favoritism (Acts 10:34)
- Show hospitality to strangers (Heb 13:2)
I remember what it felt like to be a foreigner in Indonesia. For those in God’s kingdom, I kinda think his directives remain the same.
HERE I AM
God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”
Exodus 3:4
In the original language, Moses replies, “Hineni.” I first encountered this word in my study of Mary of Nazareth for my devotional “Favored Blessed Pierced.” After the angel relays that she will give birth to Jesus, Mary replies, “Here I am” (also translated “Behold” or “See” Lk 1:38).
Likewise, Abraham (Gen 22:1), Jacob (Gen 31:11), Samuel (1 Sam 3:4), and Isaiah (Is 6:8) also respond to God in the same way.
More than just answering “here,’ this word indicates a readiness to listen and act. These folks are all in—fully present and open to whatever God asks.
Even more beautiful is that God responds to us in the same way when we call on him. “Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: ‘Here am I’” (Is 58:9).
How do you respond when God calls you?
- How is this going to work?
- I can’t do that.
- Got something else, either bigger or smaller?
- Send someone else.
- “Hineni!” Here I am.
Lord, help me to jump without hesitation when you call, no matter the task or lack of details. Thank you for being equally ready to respond to me.
CHARACTER OF GOD
God introduces himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob (Ex 3:6) and reveals his character. He then commissions Moses to the difficult task of leading the Hebrews out of Egypt (Ex 3:10). In each answer to Moses’s excuses or clarification questions, God offers a portrait of his character. We can be certain he is the same God today.
- I am Holy
- I See
- I Hear
- I know
- I Rescue
- I am Present
- I am who I am (Self-existent, Immutable, Incomprehensible, Faithful)
- I Care
- I Fulfill my Promises
- I am Powerful
- I Provide
- I am Long-suffering
Moses’s God is our God. Get to know him. Seek him. You will find him.
How can you get to know God better? What about him do you need to cling to today?
Holy God, I desire to get to know you, the God of my ancestors. I worship and serve you with a clean heart and a willing mind, for you see every heart and understand and know every thought. If I seek you, I will find you (1 Chron 28:9 LB).
I AM WHO I AM
God reveals himself to Moses as “I AM” (Ex 3:14). This word points to his self-existent, immutable, incomprehensible, and faithful nature, which sets him apart from all other gods. But this description is not for the Father alone. Jesus also is “I AM.”
- I am of the bread of life (Jn 6:35)
- I am the light of the world (8:12)
- I am the door (10:9)
- I am a good Shepherd (10:11)
- I am the resurrection and the life (11:25)
- I am the way and the truth and the life (14:6)
- I am the true vine (15:1)
- I am he (18:5)
Which “I AM” do you need to cling to today?
Precious Jesus, thank you for being the “I AM” that I need. Today I cling to you as my vine in whom I abide. I endeavor to remain, live, stay in you because I am helpless and joyless otherwise.
GOD’S FOUR ACTS
Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt.
Exodus 6:6–7 NLT
God frees the Israelites, delivers, redeems, and takes them as his own. These four acts of God retold in every Jewish Seder are also promised to us as believers in Jesus.
- It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Gal 5:1
- For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. Col 1:13; Rom 5:9
- In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Eph 1:7
- In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. Eph 1:11; Rev 19:7–9
HINDSIGHT
And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”
Exodus 3:12
WHEN you’ve brought them out, THEN you’ll know I sent you.
Sometimes we have to wait till after the fact to see God’s hand in our circumstances.
HARDENING HEART
10 times Pharaoh hardens his heart: Ex 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 34, 35; 13:15
10 times God hardens Pharaoh’s heart: Ex 4:21; 7:3; 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:4, 8, 17
God does not arbitrarily harden hearts. But he does sometimes harden the heart of someone already in rebellion against him.
God gave Pharaoh opportunity after opportunity to recognize his power (Ex 9:16) and acknowledge “there is no one like the LORD our God” (Ex 8:10).
Yet he stubbornly refused.
“God hardening Pharaoh’s heart was God giving the king of Egypt over to his own inclination toward evil, allowing his obstinance to become his destiny.” —The Exodus Bible Study
THE LONG WAY
When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.
Exodus 13:17–18
Sometimes our gracious God leads us the long, inconvenient way through the desert because he knows what’s ahead on any other route would make us change our minds and go back.
Lord, I confess that I just want the easy way, the quickest route with the least opposition. But you have other plans. Thank you for mercifully taking me on the exact route you know I should take.
JETHRO’S ADVICE
What you are doing is not good. You will wear yourself out and these people as well. This is too much for you to do alone.
Exodus 18:17–18 GNT
Perhaps Jethro’s advice to Moses is for you today:
- Teach others God’s commands and explain to them how they should live and what they should do.
- Choose some capable men (and women) and appoint them as leaders of the people.
- They must be God-fearing, trusted, and not able to be bribed.
- They can bring all the difficult cases to you, but they themselves can decide all the smaller disputes.
- That will make it easier for you, as they share your burden.
- If you do this, as God commands, you will not wear yourself out, and all these people can go home with their disputes settled.
How might you be trying to do it all alone? Who can you find to give some of your responsibilities to?
Pondered Treasures 