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Exodus 13

Jan21

Good morning y’all. Today we are looking at Exodus 13.

Be blessed 🙂

In verse 5, Moses tells the children of Isreal they are to celebrate the day of Exodus every March when the Lord brings them into the land He promised them.

“When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land He swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month:”.(Exodus 13:5 NIV)

What caught my attention here is the use of the word ‘when’. Moses could have said ‘if the Lord brings….’ rather he said ‘when’, which suggests that there was assurance and surety that God was going to do what He said He will do.

Do we have assurance that God will come through for us or are we wavering thinking He might or not?. The word, ‘If’, suggests a probability but ‘when’ is certain. That is it will definitely happen. Let’s hold on to God’s word knowing He is definitely able to perform.

I am reminded of the story of the leprous man who came to Jesus and said, ‘Lord if You are willing, you can make me clean’.

“A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if You are willing, you can make me clean.” (Matthew 8:2 NIV)

This leper believed in the power of God to make him clean but he wasn’t sure if Jesus was willing to heal him. I love Jesus’ response to him -“I am willing”.

“Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy”.(Matthew 8:3 NIV)

Let’s stop doubting and believe that God is able and it’s only a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ because He will surely do that which He has promised to do.

Verse 8 says they must explain to their children why they are celebrating. It is very important that they do not forget the reason why they are celebrating. It mustn’t become a ritual. And also they need to pass it on to their children so they can continue with the instruction from God. In the same way we ought to tell our family and friends of God’s goodness in our lives. We are not to keep all he has done for us to ourselves.  Every time we testify of God’s goodness, it’s a reminder of how great our God is and the devils defeat.

Verse 17 and 18 I find very interesting 🙂 . God did not lead them through the direct route because He felt if they encountered any obstacle on their way, the people might be discouraged and return to Egypt.
God led them through the wilderness; a route where they would have to think twice before trying to return back to Egypt…lol..smart God 🙂

When we are discouraged, naturally we would want to go back to our last known place of comfort. Even if that place of comfort or familiarity is not the best place for us, because it was the last place where we felt safe, we will return there. God knew the Israelites would choose to go back to Egypt rather than have to fight their way through to the promised land. They would rather remain in slavery than experience a bit of discomfort and be free in their own land where there is abundance, and more importantly, the presence of God.

Isn’t this same with us? For some of us, God takes us out of our comfort zone to another place so He can develop us and take us to the next level. But at the first sign of trouble we panic and go back to where we came from. We basically halt the growth process and the work God was doing in us; and become stagnant and comfortable in mediocrity. Whereas if we had persevered, we would have enjoyed the new level God was taking us to and most importantly a deeper knowledge of Him.

Today let’s not halt what God is doing in us because it is uncomfortable. Change is meant to be uncomfortable but the end result  usually outweighs the initial discomfort. It’s like a woman in labour: the labour pains aren’t comfortable but when the baby comes out I’m told you forget about the labour pains. You don’t even remember them. Let’s persevere and hold on to God.

Another crucial point to note in this chapter is that; God didn’t leave them alone to fend for themselves. No! He was with them every step of the way. He knew this was uncharted territory for the children of Israel and He wasn’t going to leave them alone. Verse 21 and 22 tells us He was with them during the day as a pillar of cloud and pillar of fire at night and the cloud and fire were never out of sight! (God is just tooooooooooooooooo awesome 🙂 )

None of us has chartered 2015 before and it could be daunting to think of all that lies ahead of us this year, but I believe God is reminding us today that we are not alone. He is here with us; and will direct and guide us in the way to go as He did for the children of Israel. Proverbs 3:5 -6 tells us to trust in the Lord with all our heart and He will direct our paths.

Don’t allow fear hold you back this year. Step out in faith knowing God is with you and won’t let you fall or fail you.

Prayer:
Thank you dear Lord for today and the opportunity to dine with you :). You are simply amazing!. Thanks for reminding us of your power and that you are a willing God who is able to do what He has promised to do. Help us to hold on to You and trust You to direct and lead us along our journey. Thank you Lord. In Jesus Name we pray. Amen.

Thanks for joining today.

I am blogging through the bible a chapter a day with Good Morning girls. Check us out at http://www.goodmorninggirls.org.

Have a blessed day 🙂

***With God all things are possible***

Exodus 12

Jan20

Good evening y’all. It has been a busy day for me and I have struggled to find the time to write the blog :(. I guess its one of those days or perhaps poor time management on my side 😦 but thanks be to God, He sent me a helper in the form of a friend who emailed me what I am about to share in todays blog.

We are looking at Exodus 12 and I pray you are blessed as you read. Amen

Exodus 12:2 NLT : “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you”.

The day we give our lives to Christ is the day we start living; it’s the start of something new, just like the day the word of the Lord came to Moses about the Passover was to be the beginning of their calendar.

Exodus 12:5 NLT: “The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects”.

The lamb had to have attained a certain maturity.  Christ Jesus, the Lamb of God, had been given the time for Him to be sacrificed as well (1 Peter 1: 20).  Indeed in all He did, timing was essential (see John 2:4; John 7:6.).  The Lord was particular about it back then in Egypt and was the same with the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, Jesus.

Also, the lamb of Passover had to be without defect. The perfection of the sacrifice was important ( Ex 12: 46) and instruction was given as to what species to sacrifice: sheep or goat.  Similarly, the lineage of our Lord, Jesus was not obscure.  His perfection was in mind body and spirit, and even in death, He was complete: without any broken bones (John 19:32-36).

Exodus 12:11 NLT: “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed, wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the lord ’s Passover.

Eat in readiness for the deliverance of the Lord.  Your heart’s expectation should be manifested physically as well.  See verses 31 to 34 and 39: the children of Israel started to leave from the night of the Passover.

“During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”   The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing”.(Exodus 12:31-34 NIV)

“With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves”.(Exodus 12:39 NIV)

There was no time to prepare to leave.  The Lord’s deliverance is true and quick in His time.

Exodus 12:14 NLT : “This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the lord . This is a law for all time”.

The Lord does not want us to forget His mighty works: especially those performed in our lives.  He does not want us to forget the manner by which He delivered us. It should be a lasting ordinance to the generations to come. We should celebrate His salvation. There truly is joy in the salvation of the Lord. Imagine the joy that filled the hearts of the Israelites when they were set free after many years of slavery.

So let us not forget what God did for us (mankind) on the cross at Calvary.  He has not forgotten how He had to forsake His only begotten Son, Jesus (Matt 27:46); and He does not want us to forget that. This ordinance placed upon Israel during their liberation from bondage is similar to what should be in our hearts always: express the joy of your salvation from sin, death and eternal condemnation.

Exodus 12:26 NIV: And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’
 
My attention was drawn to two phrases in this verse: ‘this ceremony’ and ‘to you’.
What is this ceremony? Why do you remember what the Lord has done in saving you?  Why do you ponder upon the way(s) by which He delivered you?  Why do you rejoice in and solemnize the day of your salvation even more than the say you were born to this earth?
Also, what does it all mean to you? TO YOU! Not to anyone else, but YOU! Do you appreciate the salvation wrought upon the cross for your sake? Do you appreciate the blood that has been shed for your sake?

In conclusion, Just as Egypt was given as a ransom for Israel as seen in Isaiah 43:3 which says “For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead”, Jesus Christ was given as a ransom for you and I. 1 Peter 1: 18-20 makes this very clear.

“For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake“.

So today, let us be grateful and thankful for the price that was paid for our salvation and as a sign of our appreciation to God, let us offer our lives to him as a pleasing sacrifice.

Thank you for joining today

Have a wonderful night rest 🙂

***With God all things are possible***