Book of Exodus
Exodus 1-3
Book of Exodus. Exodus 1-3 includes the birth and call of Moses. Does God call us to do things for which we have not been equipped? Even if we do not become a Christian until we are adults, God has been equipping us and preparing us for the work He has for us to do.
1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb,
the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the
bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will
turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When
the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the
bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not
come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you
are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your
father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And
Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
9
And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I
have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10
Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the
children of Israel, out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I
that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of
Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign
for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of
Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Exodus 3:1-6 & 9-12, English Standard Version
Book of Exodus
Exodus 1-3
Because the Book of Exodus comes right after Genesis, it seems as though the events in this book happened right after the story of Joseph. I used to wonder why this Pharaoh did not know who Joseph was. Joseph had been the 2nd ruler in all of Egypt so how could the next Pharaoh not have known him? Actually, almost 400 years have passed since the time of Joseph. and Israel had become so large that the Egyptians were afraid they would rise up and take over the land of Egypt.
That,
however, was not God's plan; Egypt was not the promised land. I'm sure
the faith of the Israelites was severely challenged; it seemed as though
God did not hear their cries for help.
How
often do we feel the same way? We cry out to God for help and it seems
as though He doesn't hear us? It is important, at times like this, that
we ask God to be gracious and increase our faith in Him. He does hear us
and He does answer, but His timing is often different than our own
timing!
We
get a good glimpse at the man, Moses, in this passage. As God reveals
Himself to Moses in the burning bush and tells Moses of His plans to use him to set his
people free, Moses reacts in horror. “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?”
Yet,
look how God has prepared Moses for this very duty. Having been raised
in the courts of Pharaoh, he has been educated in all things pertaining
to court life, and understands how to approach Pharaoh. God is patient
with Moses' objections and said, “But I will be with you, and this
shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought
the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”
Exodus 1-3 includes the birth and call of Moses. Does
God call us to do things for which we have not been equipped? Even if
we do not become a Christian until we are adults, God has been equipping
us and preparing us for the work He has for us to do. And, just as He
promised Moses, He is always with us, helping and guiding us through our
journey. Just as God prepared Moses for the tasks he was to perform, so God prepares us as well.
As we continue through the Book of Exodus, let us pray
for grace that we will be busy doing the things for which God
has equipped us, walking in faith and trust that He is always by our
side.
More Devotions from the Book of Exodus
Bricks without Straw, Exodus 4-6
Plagues of Egypt, Exodus 10-12
Moses Parting the Red Sea, Exodus 13-15
Grumbling against God, Exodus 16-18
Ten Commandments, Exodus 19-21
Whose Law is Law? Exodus 22-24
Tabernacle of Moses, Exodus 25-27
The Finger of God, Exodus 30-32
Glory of the Lord, Exodus 39-40
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