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“And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.” A person that knows the story of Israel may read a verse such as this one and laugh out loud! The record of God’s people is one of often disobedience and a regular pattern of rebellion, restoration, and more rebellion. The Hebrew people were eye-witness to the power and miraculous glory of God. They were also the first to receive His written word. Yet, God often described them as a stubborn and sinful people. I don’t believe, even after this commitment, that God expected perfection. He had provided a host of means within the law to cover failure and defeat. His concern then and now is that His people confess sin, forsake it, and look to Him for strength to proceed on a better path. Christians ought to make a similar verbal commitment to their Savior today. In fact, we have already made it in a non-verbal way if we have chosen to place our faith in Christ for salvation. A component of our calling out for redemption is always a commitment to follow. We should not fear declarative statements of intention to serve. They are not fool-hearty if we will only mean them from our hearts and rely on the Lord to help us fulfill them.

“And if a man entice a maid that is not betrothed, and lie with her, he shall surely endow her to be his wife. If her father utterly refuse to give her unto him, he shall pay money according to the dowry of virgins.” A few sheep, goats or even pieces of silver make insignificant restitution for the purity of a young woman. While modern feminism would chastise us for saying it; girls are often silly, immature, and quick to give their affection for romantic words. The man who would offer this deceitful enticement is a rogue, certainly unworthy of the one he woos. Still, if he has one ounce of shame, one shred of honor, and the permission of her father, he may lawfully make amends. Both participants in this act display faults that are common to man. Every observer of their sin should identify, but never make excuse. Young or old, men must not be slave to every whim of fleshly desire. Today the world makes every justification, even boldly declaring these passions “cannot be tamed”. Of course, this is a ridiculous and shameful lie that succeeds only in reminding us how far we have fallen as a culture. The principle of this law is more than applicable today. Followers of Christ found sinning in this way would do well to examine God’s law for Israel, finding in it righteous advice to restore themselves to Him.

“For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Outside the Genesis account itself, this is perhaps the most well-known Old Testament passage affirming a six day creation. This is important to note simply because so many choose to call God a liar, accepting instead the faulty and sometimes downright preposterous theories of men. Our week, just as the Biblical creation week, consists of seven twenty four hour days. It’s a good thing too, because the sabbath principle is modeled after God’s creative process. Six million years would be a long time to wait for rest! Doctrines that attempt to meld worldly hypotheses with Christian teaching are shameful, dealing dishonestly with clear scriptural text. Gap theorists, theistic evolutionists and others naysayers within Christianity are gravely, profoundly and verifiably wrong. They consider the evidence of sinful men, doubting the word of God, and fearing a flaw has been discovered in the foundation of their faith. This sinful thought process sometimes leads to scriptural acrobatics that pervert Biblical understanding. Our Bible makes the truth of creation very clear. Don’t panic and believe a lie.

“If thou shalt do this thing, and God command thee so, then thou shalt be able to endure, and all this people shall also go to their place in peace.” Jethro had just provided Moses with a sound piece of advice regarding ministry methodology. Taking Moses’ own personal health into consideration, Jethro advised that he divide his responsibilities with other Godly and capable men. Up until this point in the story, it is difficult to determine whether or not this advice is right for Moses. God had indeed placed the responsibility for leadership on his shoulders. Should he not then bear the burden on his own? This verse is pivotal in finding the answer. It causes us to believe that Jethro is concerned that Moses not simply do what seems good, but rather that which is acceptable to the Lord. A combination of factors lead us to this conclusion, including Jethro’s genuine concern for Moses, his care in recommending only men that fear God, and his stipulation here: “if God commands”. All spiritual advice will have similar ingredients, pointing us toward God’s best. While pragmatic consideration of facts has its place, our desire should be to please the Savior.

“And Moses told his father in law all that the LORD had done unto Pharaoh and to the Egyptians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them by the way, and how the LORD delivered them.” While catching up with family and friends, rehearsing all that has happened in the time of our separation, let us not fail to give glory to God for His guidance and blessing. Moses’ conversation with his father in law begins and ends with the Lord. Certainly it’s easy to look at the experience of Israel believing our victories are minor by comparison, but God is at work in all of His own, desiring and deserving honor. Our flesh would tempt us to take credit for ourselves, but we must resist and point consistently to the Savior. Without His saving power we would remain slaves to sin; without His daily leadership we would choose wrong paths; and without His intervention in times of difficulty we would experience only defeat. Moses expressed with words all the Lord had done, choosing not to take credit for himself in victories that were (indeed) not his own. The result is glory for the wonderful Lord of Israel, and great respect for a man of God who recognized he was only a tool in the hand of The Almighty.

“And Miriam answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.” A time in the wilderness with no water is common after a moment of great victory. Elijah experienced it after he climbed the mountain to face the prophets of Baal in I Kings 18. The power of God had been evident in the lack of rain before the event, the fire from heaven during, and the repentance of the people afterward. The magnificence of God’s power in that situation certainly rivals this one, and in both a moment of strong trial came immediately. The lives of God’s servants were potentially endangered in both instances; one from dehydration and the other from murder. A classic tactic of the enemy is displayed in each story: strike when the people of God breath a sigh of relief. Sadly, sin was committed by both parties in these examples, but their defeat can be our triumph if we will only learn from their stories. Even in victory, we must know that there is no time for letting down our guard. The enemy lurks just around the corner and is always ready to strike. Our task is reliance upon Christ moment by moment, day by day. Take a lesson from Israel and be prepared for praising followed by almost instantaneous thirst.

“Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the LORD, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the LORD, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.” This is a fascinating a joyous verse of scripture! After a great victory the children of God regularly desire to sing a song of praise. This portion is very specific, mentioning the very thing that made the victory great; the washing away of the armies of Egypt in the Red Sea. Getting specific in speech and song is a very good thing both for the listener and the speaker or singer. Men need to hear and be reminded that God works out every detail in our lives. It is wonderful to simply say “praise God”, but even better to recite line by line his blessings, noting even His smallest favors. If you have a journal, write His blessings down. If you are musically inclined, compose Him a song. Either way, be sure to mention the particulars. The horse and the rider were a real threat to the people of Israel, if it weren’t for the Lord’s intervention in the parting of the waters and the washing away of the troops, the story would have been tragic. Let’s praise God with Israel for His mighty work in their day, and in our day.

“And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?” The children of Israel had been eye-witness to the tremendous power and glory of the Lord just a few days before. They had been miraculously delivered with many signs and wonders from the hand of a tyrant, only to find themselves at the point of doubt and fear at this moment. It’s difficult to be fair with the Hebrews as we observe their sin. Our first reaction is to judge them harshly for lacking faith after such a tremendous deliverance by their God. They were wrong to question the Lord and lash out at Moses, and their behavior here and in future trials is easy to criticize. Believers in Christ have seen even greater deliverance from bondage to sin. We have been partakers of the gift of salvation through the sacrifice of God’s only son on the cross. Our experience is one of miraculous, life-changing transformation not unlike this departure of Israel from its slavery. Why then should we choose to simply throw rocks at these people rather than learn from their failure in our moments of fear? If pursued in the wilderness by the powers of darkness, will we become bitter or remember the faithfulness of our God and turn to Him?

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.” One of the chief foundations of scriptural understanding is the uniqueness and singularity of God. The Bible makes it obvious there is only one Lord. Still, people throughout history have worshiped all manner of beings, non-beings, animals, phenomenons and inanimate objects. These Egyptians, with their plethora of idols, superstitions and demigods were no different. They fashioned deity’s in their own likeness, worshiping the mere men they anointed king. God chose to address their problem for His own glory within this passage. He promises to execute judgment against their gods and provide revelation of Himself. It was not for the benefit of the Hebrew people that God chose to offer deliverance. In taking action against the mighty nation of Egypt and their gods, the True God would receive honor and glory. His name would be lifted up among the heathen, and the gods of Egypt, whether they were Pharaohs or monuments of gold, would be crushed. Our one God is longsuffering and abundant in mercy. He is also jealous, not willing to share His glory with sinful creation.

“And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days: They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” This is a dramatic physical representation of a spiritual reality. Egypt can be seen as a lost generation that has rejected God’s gift of redemption, while Israel represents a people trusting their souls to Christ. Egypt hovers in darkness, only seeing flickers of distant, external light, while Israel’s light springs from within, as their homes shine with hope and joy in belief. These two peoples were (and are) dwelling in the same land, yet one resides in black nothingness and the other enjoys radiant vision. Faith in God and His word is the differentiating factor both then and now. Simple trust in the Lord’s command could have delivered Egypt from their darkness, just as a child-like faith today can deliver any sinner. Jesus is the light of the world. No other person and no other thing can bring a man into the light of life through the forgiveness of sin. Israel’s ancient dwellings of earth are not unlike our bodies, made from dust; heavenly light can shine within, if we will simply believe!