Corporate Devotions: Exodus (Part 3)
Monday
Reading: Exodus 10
Questions for Reflection:
The Lord reminds Moses yet again in verse 2 why he chose to deliver his people from Egypt through great acts of judgment. Have you ever noticed how telling other people what the Lord has done for you strengthens your own faith? How can you do that today?
When we experience oppression at the hands of men, it’s easy to forget their issue ultimately isn’t with us. It’s with the Lord. Where do you see as much in verse 3? Ask the Lord for humility to recognize the people who attack you today (children included!) need God to transform their relationship with Him first and foremost.
There is a big difference between regretting sin on account of the painful consequences and repenting (turning) from sin with Godward contrition. Did you notice the conditional character of Pharaoh’s words in verse 17? Ask the Lord for grace to turn away from sin in your life compelled by a genuine fear of the Lord.
Think about the spiritual significance of the light/dark imagery in verses 21-23. In what ways is life absent the favor of God darkness? How is life under the favor of God light? Read Matthew 27:45-50 and take a few minutes to thank God for showering you with the light of his favor through the gospel.
Song: Jesus Thank You
Tuesday
Reading: Exodus 11-12:28
Questions for Reflection:
Why did Israel need to paint the blood of a lamb on the doorposts/lintel of their houses? What does that say about their own guilt in the sight of God compared to the Egyptians? Ask the Lord to help you recognize that you need a Savior no less than everyone around you.
How does the promise in 12:13 point forward to Jesus? Take some time to praise God for passing over you in executing judgment against your sin. Ask for help to trust that his voice of deliverance is more decisive than Satan’s voice of condemnation (see 12:23).
Think about the significance of 12:2 and the Passover becoming “the beginning of months” for God’s people. If you remember your conversion to faith in Christ, in what way did your life begin anew? Regardless of whether you recall a specific moment, thank God for all the ways your life is different right now than it would be apart from Christ.
Read 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 to understand what leaven symbolizes. Ask the Lord to help you respond to the salvation he has worked for you in Christ by putting off specific sins today that you might walk in holiness before him.
Song: Before the Throne of God Above
Wednesday
Reading: Exodus 12:29-50
Questions for Reflection:
What does verse 29 tell you about the justice of God? How does God’s faithfulness to not leave the guilty unpunished give us hope for the future?
We are so quick to size up a situation and declare nothing good can possibly come about as a result. Think about the reversal of fortunes in verse 36, then read Romans 8:28. Ask the Lord for faith to believe he will use even the most painful experiences of suffering for your good and his glory.
In the midst of our own struggles with spiritual slavery (sin), it can feel like victory depends on our own watchfulness, our own attentiveness to identify and resist temptation. Think about the picture in verse 42 of the Lord “watching” over his people “to bring them out of the land of Egypt.” Thank the Lord for watching over your soul today (Psalm 127:1-2) and ask him to deliver you from evil (Matthew 6:13).
Read John 19:36 and then look back at Exodus 12:46. At the cross, Jesus accomplished for you in a spiritual sense exactly what the Lord accomplished for Israel in a physical sense in verse 51. Ask the Lord to help you trust that salvation comes from him in every situation you will face today. No one brings themselves out of Egypt.
Song: The Saving One
Thursday
Reading: Exodus 13
Questions for Reflection
The Lord designed the festival of the Passover to help Israel remember (and not forget) the salvation he won for them in Egypt (see verses 3 and 8). Where do you most need to remember the truth of the gospel and the Lord’s power to save in your own life today?
The command to set apart the firstborn of the womb provided an enduring reminder of the defining act of deliverance in Israel’s history. It also depicted their collective consecration to the Lord’s priorities and purposes as his redeemed people. Read Romans 6:15-23, thank the Lord for delivering you from slavery to sin, and ask him to make you slave to righteousness.
Verse 8 says, “You shall tell your son on that day…” Verse 14 adds, “And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him…” How can you bear witness to the goodness and worth of God today by explaining to others (little people included!) just how much the Lord has done for you?
Why did God deliberately lead his people “by the way of the wilderness” (verse 18)? How should the Lord’s intimate awareness of your limitations as well his constant presence through the Holy Spirit change your attitude toward your own experience of wilderness?
Song: All I Have is Christ
Friday
Reading: Exodus 14
Questions for Reflection:
Notice Moses led Israel in obeying the word of the Lord in verses 1-4 before he knew how the Lord would “get glory over Pharaoh and all his host.” Ask the Lord for courage to obey his Word because you know he is worthy of your trust, not because you know exactly how he will care for you.
Have you ever tried to follow Jesus in a certain area and felt like your life got harder, not easier, as a result? The Israelite felt as much when they saw the Egyptians marching after them. From a human perspective, it seems like the two options were (A) serve the Egyptians, or (B) die in the wilderness. Ask the Lord to forgive you for relationships or situations where unbelief in your heart has caused you to functionally write out his presence and power to save.
Memorize verses 13-14. They are one of the most precious promises Israel ever received from the Lord. They also point forward to the ultimate battle Jesus won for us at the cross! Thank the Lord for being a God who fights our battles, and ask him for humility to “be silent” and trust him instead of crying out in fear no matter how dire the situation.
The Lord’s commitment to his own glory is relentless in this chapter. It also led to one of the greatest miracles recorded in Scripture – the parting of the Red Sea. He made a way when there was no way. Thank the Lord for how the gospel proves his glory and our good go hand in hand! Ask him to help you respond to him the way Israel did in verse 31.
Song: The Lion and the Lamb