Before you read:
God had many things to teach the people about Himself. They saw His power with the plagues, His protection in keeping Himself between them and Pharaoh’s army, and His provisions of food and water. Now in Chapter 17 they face their first real battle. God only gave the victory when they displayed their dependence on Him. Each of these four chapters is a significant step in taking Egypt out of their hearts and helping them become the people He designed them to be.
As you read:
Be aware of the following and note anything applicable to our lives today.
Chapter 17 – Note their dependence on God during their first battle and the way this created unity within the nation. They also saw that they were dependent on one another. Another interesting note is that some scholars think that Hur was Miriam’s (Moses and Aaron’s sister) husband.
Chapter 18 – Thanks to a wise father-in-law and Moses’ teachable spirit, there was a reorganization of the people and the leadership.
Chapter 19 – This was Moses first trip up the mountain where God shows him how to prepare the people to receive the law. What three labels does God give the people in v. 5-6? What was the one thing the people were to do? We are asked to do so little and He gives so much.
Chapter 20 – This was Moses’ second trip on the mountain, this time to receive the law. These are not God’s “ten suggestions”; they are commandments that are just as much in effect today as they were thousands of years ago. They don’t change because the culture changes. God gave them for the good of all people; they help us to keep our focus on God. Verse 20 was significant then as well as now. Note v. 21, “the thick darkness where God was.” We are going to see time and time again that God dwells in the cloud—a good thing to remember when things go wrong and we wonder where God is.
Application:
Most of the time today God deals with us individually, as a family or as a church. However, it is challenging to think of what God could do with this nation, if as a nation we become the people He always intended us to be. In the meantime, we can each search our hearts, allow Him to cleanse us of any “Egypt” we are harboring, and seek to be a man or woman of God. Only then can we begin to do the same with our families, church, and eventually the nation—each requiring increased amounts of prayer, surrender and obedience to God. Let us claim 2 Chronicles 7:14, realizing that this applies to our nation as well.
Prayer: Lord, searchme, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Ps. 139:23-24
