22 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 23 “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,

24 The Lord bless you and keep you;

25 the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;

26 the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

27 “So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”  (ESV)

To state the obvious, this is a very God-centered section of Scripture. It is the Lord who blesses. From God’s great bounty his people receive. In God’s great strength his people are kept (cf. Psalm 121). God will guard and protect his people. Consider the prayer the Lord taught us - and let us not into temptation but deliver us from. evil (Matthew 6:13; cf. John 17:15). This is a prayer to be kept, to be protected by the Lord.

Further we have the blessing of the shining face of the Lord. This is an idiom that asks for God to look upon his people with great favor (cf. Psalm 31:16; 80:3,7, 19; 119:135). If we do not have the favorable disposition of God upon us, we have little hope.

John Calvin wrote: “…nothing is more desirable for the consummation of our happiness, than that we should behold the serene countenance of God;…that the people may perceive and taste the sweetness of God’s goodness, which may cheer them like the brightness of the sun when it illumines the world in serene weather.”

Then finally we have the Lord lifting up his countenance and giving us his peace. Here is God’s favor and acceptance and the goodness that flows from that. Ultimately our peace is found in God, and we have it through Christ Jesus who has brought us peace (Isaiah 53:5; Luke 2:14; John 14:27).

Let the truth of this great blessing fill your hearts this morning.

Today is a day off or a day to catch up depending on where you find yourself in the readings.

So for your reading enjoyment, here is a short devotional from Jack Miller:

We see this morning the very detailed duties of the Levites. And one may wonder why so much detail. But, when you consider it, the worship of the Lord is important. We have seen that already with Nadab & Abihu offering “strange fire” and feeling the immediate consequences. But there is another aspect that is worth considering here in regard to every Levite being given a very specific assignment. This takes away competition amongst duties (which we are apt to do as humans). Everything is important and significant in the worship of the Lord according to what he has set forth.

Today we don’t have the same duties, but we do have the Spirit of God who has given to the people of God various gifts. We are called to use those gifts for the benefit of the body of Christ. We are not to be jealous of the gifts of others, but to be thankful for the gifts we have been given and we are to be good stewards of those gifts.

How can you use your gifts to serve the church?

In these chapters it would be easy to get bogged down with all the rules, but you can’t miss the repeated idea or phrase - I am the LORD. The end of chapter 19 has these words:

I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt. And you shall observe all my statutes and all my rules, and do them: I am the LORD (19:36, 37 ESV).

At the beginning of chapter 18 you read these words:

And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, I am the LORD your God. You shall not do as they do in the land of Egypt, where you lived, and you shall not do as they do in the land of Canaan, to which I am bringing you. You shall not walk in their stattues. You shall follow my rules and keep my statutes and walk in them. I am the LORD your God (18:1-4 ESV).

• Why were the Israelites called to live in a certain way?

• How does this actually speak to grace?

• Compare this idea with Ephesians 4:1 and others like it.

• Consider now the words of 1 John 2:15-17.

Today is a bit of a mixed bag in our reading. It starts with cleansing of a house and moves to laws regarding cleanliness of men and women in detail that you wouldn’t normally expect to read about. But then we come to Leviticus 16 and the Day of Atonement. There is a great deal here, and it’s what we are going to take time to look at more closely in our community groups this weekend.

But for now read and meditate upon Hebrews 13:8-16

And further - enjoy this excellent hymn from Horatius Bonar

I was struck when reading the NLT with the phrase over and over of “scabby sore.” I’m a bit more used to “infectious skin disease” or an “itch” or simply “leprosy.” All of this came in the midst of what feels like tedium with all the rules. We’ve already come across a great deal, and now we come to rules and detailed instructions given to determine the nature of a skin issue (or of mold and mildew - leprous disease in a garment). it all feels so burdensome.

But it does point us to reality…to unclearness and sin. And it directs us to the sin and impurity in our lives that naturally separate humanity from the holy Lord. In Leviticus and the old covenant there were very detailed means of being declared clean once again. But those same instructions are not what we find ourselves under today. Rather we live in a time where the touch of the Savior deals with our impurity and uncleanness (cf. Mark 1:40-45) and it goes much much deeper. And when you consider how the man with leprosy responded to being cleansed by Jesus, how much more should all who have been cleansed of sin respond with thankfulness on a daily basis?!

Today we come across the tragedy of Nadab & Abihu. These were the eldest sons of Aaron. They had been with Moses and the seventy elders of Israel who were privileged enough to see a manifestation of God on Mount Sinai (cf. Exod. 24:1,10). But what happens in Leviticus 10 is shocking.

1 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, each took his censer and put fire in it and laid incense on it and offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from before the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.’ ” And Aaron held his peace. (Levitcus 10:1–3 ESV)

To many of our ears this seems harsh. It is not as though these men were worshiping a false god or defiling the altar in another manner. Yet they were struck down immediately by the Lord. Why? Consider all we have read. All the instructions on how to approach the Lord…to do just as he commanded because he is holy and we are sinful creatures. All the sacrifices that were needed to purify, to atone for sin. God brought his people into covenant relationship with him and he set forth the parameters for coming into his presence. And what did Nadab & Abihu do after it had been made undeniably clear? They went in a manner not commanded by the Lord - they sinned.

We need to better understand the nature of our sin. There is too much to reflect upon in this, but let me quote from R.C. Sproul and his book The Holiness of God.

“Sin is cosmic treason. Sin is treason against a perfectly pure Sovereign. It is an act of supreme ingratitude toward the One to whom we owe everything, to the One who has given us life itself. Have you ever considered the deeper implications of the slightest sin, of the most minute peccadillo? What are we saying to our Creator when we disobey Him at the slightest point? We are saying no :o the righteousness of God. We are saying, "God, Your law is not good. My judgment is better than Yours. Your authority does not apply to me. I am above and beyond Your jurisdiction. I have the right to do what I want to do, not what You command me to do.

The slightest sin is an act of defiance against cosmic authority. It is a revolutionary act, a rebellious act in which we are setting ourselves in opposition to the One to whom we owe everything. It is an insult to His holiness. We become false witnesses to God. W1 .en we sin as the image bearers of God, we are saying to the whole creation, to all of nature under our dominion, to the birds of the a it and the beasts of the field: "This is how God is. This is how your Creator behaves. Look in this mirror; look at us, and you will see the character of the Almighty." We say to the world, "God is covetous; God is ruthless; God is bitter; God is a murderer, a thief, a slanderer, an adulterer. God is all of these things that we are doing."“ (Sproul, p. 116)

Let us pray that we would understand sin more by grasping more of God’s holiness. All that we have read recently, though it may seem laborious, it reinforces the nature of God’s holiness and our sin. We need One to mediate for us. Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ!

There is a bit of a repeated idea in the text today, and it is that of sinning without necessarily knowing you have sinned. You read something along the lines of “if anyone sins unintentionally” frequently through this reading. But one thing you don’t read is that it’s no big deal. Unintentional sin is still sin. And when someone realized their guilt they were still to bring the appropriate offering to deal with that sin.

Almighty and most merciful Father,

we have erred and strayed from your ways like lost sheep.

We have followed too much the devices and desires

of our own hearts.

We have offended against your holy laws.

We have left undone those things which we ought to have done,

and we have done those things which we ought not

to have done;

and apart from your grace, there is no health in us.

O Lord, have mercy upon us.

Spare all those who confess their faults.

Restore all those who are penitent, according to your promises

declared to all people in Christ Jesus our Lord.

And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake,

that we may now live a godly, righteous, and sober life,

to the glory of your holy Name. Amen.

This is a very common and well known prayer of confession. I love how it addresses things done and things left undone. I think you can apply that to things done knowingly and things done unknowingly (unintentionally). But I also love that this is a prayer for the mercy of Jesus and an appeal to his sacrifice that was once for all for the sins of his people. Sin is nothing to take lightly and reading of all these sacrifices and the entire system should direct our hearts to the worth of Christ’s single and ultimate sacrifice. Let us praise him and let us seek to walk in a way that is worthy of our calling. May He cleanse us from all sin and help us to put it to death that we may walk in the newness of life we have in Christ.

Today we come again to the giving of the Levites and their dedication. There are a great many details in Numbers 8, but the reasoning and the result is what we want to look at this morning. The Levites serve as a substitute for the firstborn. This clearly has its roots in the Passover and the death of the firstborn of all of Egypt (of any who did not have the blood of the lamb covering their doorposts).

17 For all the firstborn among the people of Israel are mine, both of man and of beast. On the day that I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I consecrated them for myself, 18 and I have taken the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the people of Israel. 19 And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons from among the people of Israel, to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting and to make atonement for the people of Israel, that there may be no plague among the people of Israel when the people of Israel come near the sanctuary.” (Num 8:17–19 ESV).

The Levites became as substitute for the firstborn of all of Israel. They were given to do the service of the tent of meeting. And in a sense, they were given to serve the entirety of the nation. They were purified and set apart to work in service to the Lord for the people.

How would this relate to us today? Consider the context. The people have not been freed from Egypt for long; the Exodus has just taken place in a dramatic rescue out of slavery. I was directed by some resources to turn to Ephesians 4:7-16.

Here, Christ, by his death and resurrection, led captives and gave gifts to mankind. What are those gifts? Look at Ephesians 4:7 - we are his gifts given back to the church. God has poured out his grace on each of his children to serve in various ways so that we would grow to maturity. We are saved from slavery to sin to serve as gifts.

The tabernacle is finished. Moses had inspected all the work and found that all of it had been done just as was commanded by the Lord (cf. 39:43 - and there is a good principle in that statement alone). What we see as the culmination is the presence of the Lord covering the tent of meeting. It was so strong at first that even Moses could not enter. Israel is about to embark into the wilderness, but yet God is with them. They have a visible reminder daily that the Lord is their God and he is with them.

Meditate on the presence of God:

• Psalm 23:6

• Psalm 73:28

• John 1:14

Here are some thoughts from Richard Sibbes that I read this morning. It’s not a perfect parallel, but the idea of Christ dwelling with his people is a beautiful truth and worthy of praise.

“Where his Spirit is, there is holiness. If we consider what a sweet guest Christ is, where he is there is all beauty, work, comfort, strength, and all. And where he is, he is for ever. He never forsakes his lodging, he never forsakes his house and temple. He had two temples built with stone; one by Solomon, and another after the captivity. Both lie now in the rubbish, and are demolished for ever, and shall never be repaired again. But his spiritual temples he never leaves wholly; for whose souls he now dwells in, he will take them by that Spirit that dwells in them, and carry them to heaven, to be where he is. The divine Spirit, that dwells in our souls now, shall quicken our dead bodies, and make them like to his glorious body.

What an excellent honour and happiness is this, to entertain such an one as will rule, govern, and adorn our souls while we live, and carry them to himself and to his Father in heaven, and will quicken our bodies likewise! An everlasting inhabitant he is. If Christ be in us, therefore, we may comfort ourselves.”

Sibbes, R. (1863). The Complete Works of Richard Sibbes (A. B. Grosart, Ed.; Vol. 6, p. 406). James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; W. Robertson.

There has been a great deal of detail written over the past few days. Sometimes it’s hard to think of why this is important. But some of this detail shows the vast importance of this whole system for the Israelites. This all related to meeting with the Lord and the relationship the people of Israel had with their covenant Lord. It’s not something to be taken lightly or according to our own ideas; this is something that is to be followed with what the Lord has set forth.

Taken from the ESV Study Bible

In looking at the work on the priests garments it is impressive what Bazelel was able to make. We were already introduced to these garments in chapter 28 and there we were told a little bit more of the why and less about the how (which is what we came to today).

Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. 3 You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood. 4 These are the garments that they shall make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash. They shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother and his sons to serve me as priests. 5 They shall receive gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen. (Ex 28:1–5 ESV).

The people needed mediation between themselves and God. Aaron and his sons were chosen. They were identified with the people and would represent them, in all their weakness. They wore holy garments to cover their own sinfulness. The garments would be made of the same materials as the tabernacle itself showing the character of the work that the priest would undertake. We read of the inscription for the turban - “Holy to the LORD.”

In thinking through all these preparations and the intricacies of erecting the tabernacle and the altar and the lampstand and on and on. Take time and read Hebrews 9:1-28 and reflect on what we now have through Christ and give thanks for the great privilege we have as new covenant believers.

These chapters are absolutely full, and yet they fall on a Sunday morning when providentially I have less time to write. So here is a wonderful reflection from D.A. Carson on chapter 32.

“exodus 32 is simultaneously one of the low points and one of the high points in Israel’s history.

Only months out of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites prove so fickle that the delay of Moses on the mountain (a mere forty days) provides them with all the excuse they need for a new round of complaining. Moses’ delay does not prompt them to pray, but elicits callous ingratitude and disoriented syncretism. Even their tone is sneering: “As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him” (32:1).

Aaron is revealed as a spineless wimp, unable or unwilling to impose any discipline. He is utterly without theological backbone—not even enough to be a thoroughgoing pagan, as he continues to invoke the name of the Lord even while he himself manufactures a golden calf (32:4–5). He is still a wimp when, challenged by his brother, he insists, rather ridiculously, “Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” (32:24). Despite the covenantal vows they had made (24:7), many in the nation wanted all the blessings they could get from Yahweh, but gave little thought to the nature of their own sworn obligations to their Maker and Redeemer. It was a low moment of national shame—not the last in their experience, not the last in the confessing church.

The high point? When God threatens to wipe out the nation, Moses intercedes. Not once does he suggest that the people do not deserve to be wiped out, or that they are not as bad as some might think. Rather, he appeals to the glory of God. Why should God act in such a way that the Egyptians might scoff and say that the Lord isn’t strong enough to pull off this rescue (32:12)? Besides, isn’t God obligated to keep his vows to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (32:13)? How could God go back on his solemn promises? His final appeal is simply for forgiveness (32:30–32), and if God cannot extend such mercy, then Moses does not want to begin a new race (as angry as he himself is, 32:19). He prefers to be blotted out with the rest of the people.

Here is an extraordinary mediator, a man whose entire sympathies are with God and his gracious salvation and revelation, a man who makes no excuses for the people he is called to lead, but who nevertheless so identifies with them that if judgment is to fall on them he begs to suffer with them. Here is a man who “stands in the gap” (cf. Ezek. 13:3–5; 22:29–30).”

Carson, D. A. (1998). For the love of God: a daily companion for discovering the riches of God’s Word. (Vol. 1, p. 106). Crossway Books.

Let these words sink in for a moment:

38 “These are the sacrifices you are to offer regularly on the altar. Each day, offer two lambs that are a year old, 39 one in the morning and the other in the evening. 40 With one of them, offer two quarts of choice flour mixed with one quart of pure oil of pressed olives; also, offer one quart of wine as a liquid offering. 41 Offer the other lamb in the evening, along with the same offerings of flour and wine as in the morning. It will be a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the Lord.

42 “These burnt offerings are to be made each day from generation to generation. Offer them in the Lord’s presence at the Tabernacle entrance; there I will meet with you and speak with you. 43 I will meet the people of Israel there, in the place made holy by my glorious presence. 44 Yes, I will consecrate the Tabernacle and the altar, and I will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. 45 Then I will live among the people of Israel and be their God, 46 and they will know that I am the Lord their God. I am the one who brought them out of the land of Egypt so that I could live among them. I am the Lord their God. (NLT)

This is the daily sacrifice for the people of Israel. These are continual and are to happen at the entrance of the Tabernacle (or Tent of Meeting) where the Lord will meet with his people. At the end of this section we come to a bit of a summary statement. The tabernacle is the place where the Lord will live, or dwell among his people. And he will be their God. This is the God who brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery (cf. Ex. 6:7, 20:1).

There is something striking and hard to imagine in this. These sacrifices took place daily. Consider the amount of blood spilt.

• What does this system point the people to?

• What is it that takes away sin?

• Meditate on 1 Peter 1:18-21

The details in today’s reading are quite obvious. There is a repeated phrase throughout this reading that goes something like this: Then you shall erect the tabernacle according to the plan for it that you were shown on the mountain (Ex. 26:30 ESV cf. 25:40). Then later in chapter 28 we have the instructions for the garments the priests are to wear. They were made according to the instructions and for glory and for beauty (28:2 ESV). And they were also holy garments that served to cover the sinfulness of the priest. The names of the twelve tribes were engraved on stones on the garment. On the front of the turban on a plate of gold were engraved the words “HOLY TO THE LORD” (28:36).

38 Aaron must wear it on his forehead so he may take on himself any guilt of the people of Israel when they consecrate their sacred offerings. He must always wear it on his forehead so the LORD will accept the people. (28:38 NLT)

This points to the sacred offerings being guilt offerings that were done to atone for sin and guilt. The symbolism of the garment takes the guilt into the presence of the Lord, who is the only one who can truly deal with the guilt of our sin. There must be a mediator for the people of God, a representative.

I like to point people to good resources. Here is an excerpt from the ESV Gospel Transformation Bible:

“Jesus, our Great High Priest, was chosen by God to serve as priest; he identified with human beings in our suffering and obedience so that he might be sympathetic to our weaknesses (Heb. 2:17–18; 5:5–10). He did not require holy garments to cover his sin; for he was the sinless one (Heb. 4:14–15) who was “holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens” (Heb. 7:26). He bore his people upon his heart as he made intercession for them, and he continues to do so (Heb. 7:25). And he clothes us with his righteousness so that we, as those who participate in his priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:5), have our sins covered and are “holy to the LORD.””

Just a few thoughts this morning, and mainly from chapter 24. Here Israel agrees to the covenant of the Lord. They would have been familiar with these types of arrangements where a greater power would set down rules to which the lesser to agree and abide.

4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. He rose early in the morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 And he sent young men of the people of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he threw against the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood and threw it on the people and said, “Behold the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words.” (24:4-8 ESV)

The people agree to the covenant. They agree to the stipulations that Moses lays out and they are sealed with the sprinkling of blood. This helps us to see that their rebellion (coming soon, and ongoing in many ways) is actually the breaking of an oath. It is the virtual ripping up of the covenant.

One quick thought on seeing the Lord. Moses, Aaron, his sons, and seventy elders saw the God of Israel (24:10). We know this isn’t a complete seeing, but is nonetheless a gracious disclosure to these men. This also makes the rebellion of Aaron and the people all the more egregious as he was given this grace to see the Lord in this way to strengthen his faith and allegiance.

John 14:21: Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.

The test of love is a desire and effort to please the one that we love.Jesus told his disciples that part of how we display our love for the Father is by keeping his commandments.

The Apostle John wrote very similarly: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:2,3).

This morning our reading begins with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). What are we to make of these words? There are some who would argue that these words were only for Israel and have no real bearing on Christians today. I would not be one of those people, nor would the Reformed & Presbyterian world.

In the Westminster Confession of Faith we read this:

2. This law, after his fall, continued to be a perfect rule of righteousness; and, as such, was delivered by God upon Mount Sinai, in ten commandments, and written in two tables: (James 1:25, James 2:8, 10–12, Rom. 13:8–9, Deut. 5:32, Deut. 10:4, Exod. 34:1) the first four commandments containing our duty towards God; and the other six, our duty to man. (Matt. 22:37–40)

5. The moral law doth for ever bind all, as well justified persons as others, to the obedience thereof; (Rom. 13:8, 9, Eph. 6:2, 1 John 2:3–4, 7–8) and that, not only in regard of the matter contained in it, but also in respect of the authority of God the Creator, who gave it. (James 2:10, 11) Neither doth Christ, in the Gospel, any way dissolve, but much strengthen this obligation. (Matt. 5:17–19, James 2:8, Rom. 3:31)

~ Chapter 19:2, 5

These commands are applicable to all of history. But these commands are not directions for how to make oneself right with God. Mankind cannot do that on his own. These are commands for how to live as one rescued by the grace of God. The first 2 verses of chapter 20 help us to see that:

1 And God spoke all these words, saying,

2 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Our Shorter Catechism asks what the preface (these verses) to the Ten Commandments teach us: “The preface to the Ten Commandments teaches us, that because God is the Lord, and our God, and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to keep all his commandments.” (WSC 44; WLC 101)

We obey because we have been rescued from the slavery of sin. We obey because we love our Lord and we want to be conformed to his image and please him.

That’s not a word you want to see at the top of a post, but it’s what we have with the Israelites (and too often what we face in our own hearts). At the end of chapter 15 Tyler Israelites grumbled against Moses that they had no fresh water to drink (15:24). The Lord showed that he was more than capable to heal the waters from their bitterness.

But then in the very next chapter we have further complaints.

2 There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron.

3 “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.”

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they will gather food, and when they prepare it, there will be twice as much as usual.” (NLT)

This is what would happen, but then Moses spoke about the “why” behind it.

6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you shall see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against the Lord. For what are we, that you grumble against us?” 8 And Moses said, “When the Lord gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the Lord has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the Lord.” (ESV)

Moses knew that their grumbling was ultimately against the Lord. But what is the source of this grumbling? Did not these people just witness some amazing events that showed that power and nature of the Lord? How could they now grumble? Well, many view God as their own personal butler in the sky to serve them. They do not understand the nature of God, they merely see his power and believe it is solely for them and their needs. And if those needs aren’t met, we’ve seen that they would have returned to Egypt since they had needs met there (even though in slavery).

What does this tell us about the human heart?

What does it tell you about your own heart? When do you tend to grumble against the Lord?

Take some time to read and meditate upon 1 Corinthians 10:6-13.

Happy Monday morning! It’s nice to see the sun again, and not necessarily the most normal feeling in February. Well today we read of the crossing of the Red Sea, the Song of Moses, and also complaining by the Israelites. What sticks out the most is this confrontation between Pharaoh and the Israelites, but it’s more so a confrontation between Pharaoh (a false God) and Yahweh (the true God).

Pharaoh had let the Israelites go, but then had second thoughts as their slave labor would no longer be available. So they pursue Israel and believe they have them cornered between their army and the sea. And the Israelites are thinking the same thing:

10 As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, 11 and they said to Moses, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? 12 Didn’t we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, ‘Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!’”

13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. 14 The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (14:10-14 NLT)

Why is it that the Israelites are so fearful?

What did Moses tell them and what does this tell the people?

I think it’s helpful to look at the ESV of verses 13 & 14.

And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” (14:13,14 ESV)

How does Isaiah 30:15 add to your thinking?

What does this whole episode tell us about our God?

There is so much that could be written this morning. This is the culmination of the Plagues on Egypt. You can hear the fear in the words of the Egyptians: 7 Pharaoh’s officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the LORD their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?” (10:7 NLT).

Still to come is a plague of locusts, and then darkness, and it is capped off with the plague of the firstborn, the Lord’s Passover. It is here that the Lord executes profound judgment on the Egyptians and shows there is a difference between his people and those who are not his people. The Lord preserves the faithful, but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride (cf. Psalm 31:23).

Take three minutes and twenty-nine seconds and watch the clip below, and be encouraged and comforted. Too often we doubt the volume of our faith, but it’s not the intensity of our faith, but the object of our faith that matters. The Israelites were shown that very clearly on the night when the Angel of the Lord passed through Egypt.

The story moves quickly today. We encounter the first seven plagues: turning the water to blood, frogs, gnats, flies, death of livestock, boils, and then hail. In the first two plagues you see that the magicians of Egypt are able to replicate what Moses and Aaron declare, but from that point on they are unable to do so and their response in the third plague is: This is the finger of God! (8:19).

Yet we also continuously see a repeated pattern: the plague comes, Pharaoh pleads, the Lord relents, and Pharaoh’s heart is hardened. But look back at 7:14: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn, and he still refuses to let the people go.” This was after Aaron’s staff (snake) swallowed the staffs (snakes) of the magicians.And it is interesting that the NLT didn’t say his heart was hard - and that’s because it’s a different word. It could be translated as his heart was heavy.

John Currid gave some help in understanding the background to this concept:

“At this time the Egyptians believed that when someone died the person went to judgement in the underworld. The individual’s heart—which was thought to be the very essence of the person—was weighed on the scales of truth. On one pan sat the feather of truth and righteousness; on the other lay the heart of the deceased. If the heart was heavy or weighty with misdeeds, the person was unjust, condemned and thrown to the Devouress to be eaten. If the heart was pure, the deceased would go to the Egyptian afterlife.

In the exodus account the verdict that Pharaoh’s heart was heavy reflects the concept of his heart being filled with iniquity and injustice. His dealings with Israel, and for that matter his own character in general, were unrighteous. God was simply judging Pharaoh as one with a heavy, sinful heart!”

( Currid, J. D. (2000). A Study Commentary on Exodus: Exodus 1–18 (Vol. 1, pp. 165–166). Evangelical Press.)

Once again the condition of the heart of man is vital.