God dwelt with the people of Israel by way of the tabernacle and its furniture, foreshadowing the presence of God in Christ with His church. The presence of God is the greatest need of all creation. As Christians we must embrace that we are a gift and are gifted to help lead people to the presence of God. We have a responsibility to be led according to the Word of God and are command to live by the Holy Spirit. So that, people may draw near to God.
In confirming of the covenant, God is teaching His people to honor and respect His holiness. One can only draw close to God and be in His presence if we come on His terms in the way He has appointed. This is what Christ has accomplished for us, through the shedding of HIs blood and being the appointed mediator.
God rescues and redeems us, and we should follow and worship, trust and obey Him. In our battle against sin, we continue to trust in the Lord’s victory as we obey Him by worshipping Him alone and removing any idols in our life, so that we may receive His blessings, the promise of eternal life.
The law is a wonderful gift from the Lord. The law showed people how to live in community with one another, it helped solved disputes, it deterred crime and it protected life. Throughout the law, God reveals the primacy of human life over possession. We as God’s people must be Holy as we make right with those we have wronged, pursue sexual purity, are compassionate and gracious to the powerless.
The law comes from God as it reveals the nature and holy character of God. The law is essentially applying the Ten Words (Commandments) to specific situations. As we look at the law, our focus must be what God reveals about Himself. It teaches us the value of human life and the importance of honoring family.
The Lord delivered His people and established His covenant with them. In His blazing holiness and overwhelming glory He gives His ten words to His people. God pours Himself into these Ten Words, as they reflect the holy character of God.
The judgement on Egypt and deliverance of Israel is a banner for the nations to see that the Lord is God and there is no other. In response, the Amalekites in violence raises their fists towards the throne of the Lord refusing to bow, serve and love. While Jethro in response confesses, worships and breaks bread in the presence of the Lord with the Lord’s people.
As sojourners, who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, who have crossed over to the other side by grace and who are on their way to the promised land, God is teaching His people how to live, trust, love and follow Him. It is in the wilderness where God provides for His people.
After fleeing Egypt and escaping Pharaoh and his army through the Red Sea, the Israelites entered into the Wilderness. Even though they had witnessed God’s power, the people will soon complain against Moses about their new misfortunes in the wilderness. Despite their grumbling, the Lord promises to sustain them so that they would know He was their God.
When Moses approached Pharaoh with hope, he had no success. Things went from good too much worse. We learn that obedience to God’s call does not mean we will not face disappointment. We can leverage disappointment for our own spiritual good as we hold our expectations with open hands and we look to the cross of Jesus Christ and remind ourselves of the Gospel promises.
In the call and commission of Moses, God gives His Word before He reveals His power because God desires obedience rooted in faith. What pleases God is obedience rooted in faith. The life of a Christian must be marked by obedience rooted in faith.
When God calls us for His purpose, we have a tendency to give every excuse we can think of. We bring up our lack of credentials, lack of content, and lack of converts. We see this in Moses but with every excuse that Moses had, God had a response. God was clarifying to Moses that He is fighting the battle for us, so we trust in His ability as God sent Moses and as God is sending us.
God appears to Moses in a burning bush, where He calls and commissions Moses to go and deliver His people. Because of who God is, He graciously uses imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will. In this story, God sends Moses, in our story God sends us to go and proclaim the Gospel.
Through this week's study of the book of Exodus we are able to see through the life of Moses, how God continuously draws us out to draw us in. We see how God's hand was providentially placed over Moses' life as he overcame many odds. From the improbability of survival for an infant traveling through the raging treacherous waters of the Nile, to the death sentence appointed by Pharaoh through an edict. The truth is that every act of man is serving the purpose of God. We must know that God often prepares us for the next chapter of life with the present chapter's experience. Also, understand that God is intimately aware of your agony and because God knows, God acts.
As we continue to learn how God draws us out to draw us in. We face an attribute of God which is sometimes hard to accept. We must realize that God does not spare His people (children) from harm and we learn dependence on God as we experience grace. Understanding that when we cannot trace God's hand, we must trust God's heart.
God has drawn us out so that he can draw us in. As we journey through the Book of Exodus we are striving to know God, understand God's redemption, understand God's mission and ours and draw lessons for living out our faith. While noticing that God always keeps His promise and His plan is always accomplished. We have a responsibility to acknowledge our limitations, read scripture honestly and remember the cross.