WISE ADVICE

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JETHRO AND MOSES


Read Exodus 18:1–27

     "The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you."   Exodus 18:18b–19a NIV

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     When Jethro, the priest of Midian and father-in-law of Moses, heard of everything God had done for Moses and how the Lord had brought Israel out of Egypt, he sent word to him: "I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons." (18:6) As Jethro settled in, he quickly noted that Moses was trying to do everything himself.
     If this man was going to keep going, Jethro observed, he would need help. His advice was to seek out capable, godly men to judge the simple matters, who would then bring the difficult cases to Moses. He said, " If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." (18:23 NIV)

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    Just like Moses, we often think we have to do everything ourselves. It is important, not only for our own benefit, but also our children's, to give them age appropriate responsibilities.
     Lord, help me to learn to delegate responsibility and to train my "child in the way he should go, so that when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

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     Moses told his father-in-law about everything the LORD had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for Israel's sake and about all the hardships they had met along the way and how the LORD had saved them.    Exodus 18:8 NIV

STAND FIRM

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MOSES AT THE RED SEA

Read Exodus 13:17–14:31


     The LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.    Exodus 14:21–22 NIV

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     When Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go, God instructed Moses to take them the long way around so they wouldn’t face war with the Philistines because, "If they face war,” He said, “they might change their minds and return to Egypt." So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. (13:17–18) When they came to the Red Sea with the Egyptians pursuing them, it was no surprise that they were terrified.

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     Thanks be to God, their salvation was not dependant on their great strength and courage. Moses told the people "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." (14:13–14)

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     Thank You Lord, that victory does not depend on my own strength. When I am overwhelmed by life’s circumstances, I need only to be still and watch what You are going to do. Like Moses and Miriam I can sing, “The Lord is my strength and my song. He has become my salvation.” (Exodus 15:2a)

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     "In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them …" Exodus 15:13a NIV

THE PASSOVER

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 THE LAST SUPPER

Read Exodus 11:1–12:42

     "I am the LORD … when I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Exodus 12:12b–13 NIV

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     After nine plagues and refusals by Pharaoh to let the people go, in the tenth and final judgment, God sent His angel to strike the firstborn male of every family in Egypt. Only those who put the blood of a lamb on the two doorposts and the lintel would be spared. The Lord promised them, "… when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." (12:13b)

     This event came to be known as the Passover. God commanded, "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the LORD—a lasting ordinance."(12:14) Over fourteen hundred years later, Jesus sat down to the Passover meal with His disciples and said, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you."

     That very night in the Garden of Gethsemane, being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.   (Luke 22: 20b,44 NKJV)

* * *

     Thank You Lord, for giving Your Son for us, that we might enjoy eternal life in Your presence. Help us to tell the story of the cross to our children, just as the Israelites taught their children through this annual feast. May our lives radiate the message of Jesus the Passover Lamb.

* * *

     "In days to come, when your son asks you, 'What does this mean?' say to him, 'With a mighty hand the LORD brought us out … out of the land of slavery.' " Exodus 13:14 NIV

WHO AM I?

I AM WHO I AM

Read Exodus 2:11–3:15

     "One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand."    Exodus 2:11–12 NIV

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     When Moses was young, God had already given him a heart to deliver his people–but his youthful, impulsive actions forced him to flee to the desert, where he lived as a shepherd for forty years. Finally, God's time had come to use the spark ignited in Moses' heart so long ago.

* * *

     Out of a burning bush, God said, "I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt." Moses' response was, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" (3:10–11) When Moses was young, it was all about who he was, the son of a princess, but now God says, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (3:14)

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     How prone we are to act impulsively in our own strength, with disappointing results. But our failures don’t necessarily prove that the desired end was wrong. It may just indicate that we need to wait patiently for the Lord’s perfect timing.

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     Lord, when I am impatient to know what is ahead, help me to be willing to wait for your guidance and timing. Renew my strength and confidence as I wait upon you.

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     But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.    Isaiah 40:31 NKJV

RESCUE OF MOSES

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JOCOBED AND MIRIAM

Read Exodus 1:1–2:10

     When she 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. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.     Exodus 2:3–4 NIV

* * *

     The rescue of baby Moses is a remarkable story of faith and deliverance. Many babies lost their lives in this terrible purge by Pharaoh, and yet God had a plan for one little baby boy and his family. Jocobed trusted God as she lowered the basket into the water and prayed for compassion from Pharaoh's   daughter. Miriam, in obedience to her mother, stood watch over the baby and spoke wisely to the princess. The result of their faith was that Jocobed was allowed to continue nursing her own baby, and one day Miriam would join her brother Moses as a leader in Israel.  (Exodus 2:7–10; Micah 6:4)

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     Lord, only You know what the future holds for our children. We commit them to Your providential plan, trusting that You will bring about Your will in their lives. Help us to move confidently into the future, believing in Your love and care for our children and grandchildren. And as we do this, please use us to bless the lives of other families along the way.

* * *

     The girl went and got the baby's mother. Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you." So the woman took the baby and nursed him.   Exodus 2:8–9 NIV