The Lord Says: Consider What You've Seen.

 

Exodus 19:2 There Israel encamped before the mountain, 3 while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ 

Having seen God's deliverance from Egypt, safe passage through the Sea, and provision of manna and water, God calls on the people (and us) to consider what our proper response is. We are to understand that God has a plan and purpose, including instructions, resources, and protection plan.  The question before us now is: Will we obey and enjoy this special calling?

And God Said: "Here's How to Get Water"

Exodus 17:5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

God had already provided food in response to the people's complaining; now He provided water.  God was not giving "how-to" lessons on what we need to get water, but how we can depend on God to meet our needs - even ones we take so much for granted.  As always, He has a picture for us of the Gospel - that Christ is both the Rock upon whom we can place our trust and the Source of Living Water for daily and eternal life.  The big question in all our hearts is: "Is God here and does He care?" The answer is a bigtime "YES."

God Said: "Let There Be Bread"

Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.”

The giving of manna to the people of Israel is one of those "Bible Stories" many people have heard and move on.  But not so fast.  Why did God give it? Partially because they were hungry and complained that God only brought them out of Egypt to the wilderness to starve them there, but there is more to the story. He told Mose that it was a test of obedience and faith.  They were to collect daily, but twice the amount on the sixth day.  Why? He only provided what they needed daily so they would trust in Him as their Provider and that they would obey His law of the Sabbath: to rest and appreciate His provision, worship Him (which WAS the main reason for them leaving Egypt in the first place!), and be content in His plan for them.  God doesn't want us to be worried with worry or resistant to His will. Which are you?

This Lord Said: This Is NOT a Dead-end

 Exodus 14: 15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

Often, when we actually listen to the Lord and follow His lead, there will be times when we feel trapped - like there is nowhere to go, and we complain that we have been faithful and obedient, only to end up at a dead-end.  We definitely don't see as God can see.  The Lord was both showing Pharoah that He is God, and at the same time giving lessons in faith and obedience to His people. It's more than just His power; it is also His love, mercy, and trustworthy plan.  May we not lose heart today. 

The Lord Said: "Remember This..."

 Exodus 12:1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you...14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast... 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

Knowing that we have such a tendency to forget, when it came to the final judgment on Pharoah and the Passing Over of God's angel of His people who obeyed Him, God gave them not a day, but a whole week to remember the event.  Many times things we have been waiting for, which we have been praying for, and which we deep down think never could happen, do so just as God has said.  We thank Him for those, but we also quickly forget. He calls on us to establish memorials to His faithfulness. When we forget them, we tend to stray away from obeying Him. Israel did. So do we.  Take time to remember. 

God Speaks Till We Listen

Exodus 11:1 The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” 3 And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people.

In the final plague in Egypt, Pharoah became a broken man. Not only did he allow the people of Israel to go out and worship for a few days - all of them with all their stuff - he begged them to leave and paid them to do.  Everyone was glad to see them go and all their troubles with them: the people, the government offices, and grudgingly, Pharoah himself.  When God keeps speaking and we refuse to listen, He will speak so loudly and strongly we cannot ignore Him.  It's always best to listen initially and obey His voice.

God Says "All"

 Exodus 10:21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived. 24 Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” 

There is a progression in the 10 plagues on Egypt not only is the power God demonstrates, but also the demands He makes upon Pharoah.  First it was "Let My People God" a few days into the wilderness. Pharoah was finally willing to let the men go, then the children, and now the demand was for the livestock as well.  God also demanded that they be allowed to wait until they got there to see how long and involved their time would be.  Pharaoh kept balking, unwilling to relent, unwilling to let the Lord have them all.  But that is exactly what God wants from each and every one of us: All.