October 14 | Exodus 12:21-30

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DAILY READING

Exodus 12:21-30

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REFLECTION

God's Wrath and God's Provision

by Pr. Dave Mann

Is God wrathful or is God loving? The answer is, "Yes!" Many people find it difficult to understand how God can be angry and punish people. Others find it hard to realize that God is loving, given that there is so much evil in the world.

When we listen carefully to the message of the Bible, we perceive that God is both. He is a holy God whose character requires punishment for rebellion and sin. However, he is also a God who desires to save his people. He provides a way out, a way to be saved from the righteous punishment that we deserve.

In the land of Egypt, God's hand was determined to exact the penalty for sin, but he also provided a way that people could be saved.  The Israelites were spared from certain death not because they deserved it, not because they were more righteous than the Egyptians, but because they trusted in the means of salvation that God provided -- the blood of the lamb which marked their doorways.

This account of the Passover is one of the many examples in the Old Testament where God foreshadows his plan to provide a substitute for the sentence of death for sin, which was first announced in the garden (Genesis 2:16-17 and 3:15).  In Genesis 22, the Lord tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah, but in the end, the ram caught in the thicket is substituted for Isaac.  The entire Levitical sacrificial system shows us that God is preparing his people to trust in the sacrifice of Another One to take our place. 

We do not deserve the Lord’s forgiveness for our sins, but we can trust in his provision as the way out, leading to eternal life.  The message of the Bible is that God so loved the world that although he is pure and the demands of his holiness must be satisfied, he has provided a means of salvation.  His love is so strong that he is willing to be the substitute for us.  Will we trust in his plan?  Will we accept to be marked by his blood so that his righteous demands of the law be fulfilled and that, in the end, his love will win?  Jesus’ blood is the way, the truth, and the life.

PRAYER

Holy and Loving Lord, I accept that you are who you are and that your righteousness must be fulfilled.  Thank you that your love has provided a way for our salvation.  You paid the price yourself.  I will be forever grateful, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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October 13 | Exodus 12:1-13

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DAILY READING

Exodus 12:1-13

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REFLECTION

Passover and Communion

by Elaine Pierce

As the first-born child in my family, I have often wondered why the ancient world placed such value on the first born (especially the first-born son). I didn't think I had any advantages being the first of three kids; in fact, I often thought my parents were harder on me and that I had to set an example for my younger siblings. There was no inheritance waiting for me just because I was the oldest.

In today's passage, God gives Moses and Aaron very clear instructions for how they will lead their people out of bondage to the Egyptians. These 13 verses describe the Passover, when the angel of death will kill every firstborn Egyptian son, but he will spare the Israelite boys because their homes will be marked with the blood of the lamb. This seems almost barbaric to our 21st century ears, but sacrificing animals was commonplace in these times (and still is in many cultures today). After nine deadly plagues, this one - killing the firstborn - finally broke Pharaoh's will, and he urged Moses and Aaron to take their people and leave Egypt (of course, he changes his mind and tries to stop them - be sure to read on for more of this amazing adventure story).

When we gather at the Lord's table every Sunday and take communion, we are reminded of the Passover. Thousands of years ago, God's people sacrificed "sheep or goats - one-year-old males without defect (v. 5)" Jesus paid the price for our sins - God's son, his first born, his only son - and when we drink the wine and eat the bread we are reminded of his sacrifice.

The body of Christ, given for you. The blood of Christ, shed for you. Meditate on these words as you read Exodus. Jesus is everywhere in scripture. Yes, from the beginning, when God was creating the world:

"Then God said, let us make man in our image, in our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26). God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are our Creators. They were not created. And this mystery is too deep for me to fathom, but as I ponder the Passover, and as I take communion Sunday after Sunday, I am reminded that God is far deeper, far wiser, and beyond my comprehension. Thanks be to God for his word, for the fellowship of believers, and for prayer that invites us into relationship with him!

PRAYER

Lord, I don't understand your ways, but I know you love me and you long for a relationship with me. Thank you for the gift of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Help me each day to follow you more nearly and love you more dearly. Amen.

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October 12 | Exodus 11:1-10

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DAILY READING

Exodus 11:1-10

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REFLECTION

On the Brink

by Mary Alice McGinnis

Have you ever been on the brink of a major change in your life, and you weren’t sure if you would survive the upheaval? During the mortgage crisis in the early 2000’s, I was trying to make my mortgage payments as a single woman. I put my house on the market right as home values were plummeting. For two long years, showing after hopeful showing, there were no bites.

Finally, one day an offer came. The potential buyers requested that the large playhouse in our back yard be removed. Overwhelm kicked in. A friend from church offered to help. He and his 21-year-old son came to my house to begin the demolition. With the first sledgehammer swing against one side of the playhouse, hornets came swarming out. They attacked my friend’s son. As they stung him, he went into anaphylactic shock. They rushed him to the ER where he was injected with epinephrine to save his life.

I remember sinking down on the floor that day sobbing, “Why Lord? Why is this happening?” After two long years of overwhelming waiting, just when it seemed like I was on the brink of rescue, another catastrophe happened.

Exodus tells about the Israelites being on the cusp of freedom from their 400 years of slavery in Egypt. God had brought nine plagues on Egypt, showing His power and glory to both the Egyptians and to His Children – Israel. But each time, Pharaoh at first agrees to let them go, but then hardens his heart and changes his mind. Moses and the Israelites thought they were on the brink of freedom only to find the hopes dashed nine times.

Maybe like me they asked, “Why Lord? Why is this happening? Didn’t you promise to deliver us?”

In today’s reading, God tells Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.”

Did you know that God had predicted this final plague all the way back in Exodus 4? He tells Moses:

Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’ ”  Exodus 4:22-23

This was God’s plan from the beginning. Why? The Lord tells Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” 

Where are you feeling overwhelmed, perhaps on the brink of hopelessness and despair? When you find yourself, asking "WHY?" remember this! When Jesus was handed over to be crucified, his disciples too felt scattered and hopeless. Yet, God’s divine plan was unfolding even as He was mocked, beaten and nailed to the cross.

On the third day, He gloriously arose and claimed victory for us once and for all!

Hold on to this hope.

PRAYER

Use this song as a prayer today, asking God to help you hold on to Him, clinging to our only sure and certain hope.

Hold On by Katy Nichole

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