Have you ever been guilty of grumbling or complaining in the midst of your circumstances? I remember once after taking the kids to Disney hearing complaints about the boring ride home.  I didn’t receive those complaints well.  Only a short time after God has rescued the people of Israel from Egypt and shown miraculous signs, they begin complaining greatly.  God receives His people’s complaints and grumbling better than I did for sure. Once again God provides for them.  Let’s look at the account today.

The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions… 9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud. 11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’” 13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”

One thing about God that is consistently true throughout Scripture is that He never leads people to a place and then leaves them to their own devices.  When God is leading people He provides for them.  It’s when the people of Israel wander off and do things their own way that God allows them to suffer the consequences.  Even then when they cry out He rescues them.  The question for us today is are we following God’s path and leading or are we going our own way?  Following God’s path is gonna work out a lot better for us.  I pray that we would all follow the path that God has laid out for us.  It’s not always an easy path but God is always with us!

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

As God frees the Israelites from Egypt, Pharaoh once again changes his mind (surprise surprise).  He gets soldiers together and chases the people of Israel on Chariots.  God, once again provides deliverance for His people.  Let’s look at the account together today.

As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn’t we say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians’? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!” 13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

Perhaps God knew that the Israelites would need yet another amazing sign for them to keep their faith over the long journey into the Promised Land – (spoiler alert) it’s still not enough.  The people of Israel are terrified when they see Pharaoh coming.  Despite all that God has done they still don’t have faith that He will deliver them.  Then He parts the Red Sea, causes the Egyptians to get stuck and then ultimately destroys them by having the Sea close on them.  What an amazing combination of God’s provision and a display of His power!  God probably won’t part a sea today that you will see but His power and creation are always on display for us.  The rising of the sun.  A beautiful rainbow.  Even the power of a thunderstorm.  Today be on the lookout for a display of God’s greatness.  He truly is amazing and too often we simply take His majesty for granted. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

The plagues continue and Pharaoh still will not let the Israelites leave.  God tells Moses that there will be a final plague and gives him specific instructions on what he is to do.   Let’s look at the account found in Exodus 12 together today. 

21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. 24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. 29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead. 31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.” 33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!”

Pharaoh finally relents and sends the Israelites on their way. The Passover is celebrated to this very day as a reminder of God’s rescue and faithfulness to His people.  As Christians we celebrate another Passover.  When Jesus died for us so that God would Passover us as a punishment for sin.  It is interesting that both things are celebrated in the spring when we celebrate new life.  For the Israelites they had new life, new freedom, and ultimately a new home.  We celebrate the very same things as Christians.  We are given a new life, an eternal one.  We are given freedom from sin and death and we are given a new heavenly home.  Today take time to thank Jesus, our Passover lamb, for this incredible gift.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever had a situation where someone went back on their word?  It can be extremely frustrating and disappointing.  You are expecting someone to come through and then they change their mind or just don’t do what they have said they would.  As the plagues continue for Pharaoh and the Egyptians, Pharaoh does this repeatedly.  Let’s look at one account with the plague of the flies found in Exodus 9.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 21 If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.22 “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’”24 And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies. 25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.”26 But Moses said, “That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the Lord our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, as he commands us.” 28 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.” 29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.” 30 Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, 31 and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained. 32 But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.

At this point Pharaoh hardens his heart knowing that more trouble or plagues will come his way.  It is as if he thinks he can win a battle of wills between himself and God.  The thing is God always wins in a battle of wills.  We can choose to disobey God’s will but His purposes are never thwarted.  He might use someone else.  Like Balam’s donkey.  He might bring you around and not allow you to run away from what He wants like Jonah.  He might redeem you in the midst of your failure like Peter or Saul/Paul or so many others in scripture.  Pharaoh doesn’t know these stories but he is about to find out the lengths God will go to rescue His people.  It truly is great to remember the lengths God goes to redeem those He loves.  Thank God today for his amazing redeeming love.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh and begin to show him signs and wonders and plagues from God.  Pharaoh still refuses to let the people of Israel leave.  Let’s look together at Exodus 7 and the beginning of the plagues that God brings upon the people of Egypt. 

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said. 14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 16 Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened. 17 This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’” 19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.” 20 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood.

For Pharaoh, letting the people of Israel go was not an easy solution.  It would have destroyed their economy as Israel was their primary labor source.  We often focus on the stubbornness of Pharaoh but for him there were power, economic, and social ramifications of letting all of the people of Israel leave.  When God begins bringing plagues on the land he is still not moved at all.  This makes me reflect on my own stubbornness at times in life.  It makes me ask the question – What are the areas in my life that I want my own way in and don’t allow God to direct my paths as I should? This is a good question for us all.  Maybe we think we are stubborn for a good reason.  Perhaps we think we are “right” and it’s ok to argue or put someone else down who is “wrong”.  Maybe we think we are justified in not extending grace or forgiveness to someone else.  Whatever the circumstance we should all examine the areas in our lives where we find we are stubborn.  Perhaps God wants to soften us in those areas a bit and I sure hope it doesn’t take plagues to get the job done!

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

I am often amazed at God’s patience with His people.  Even after time and again He has rescued us and done great and amazing things we often don’t listen.  Moses doesn’t listen.  The Israelites don’t listen to him.  God’s promises to us are incredible and God always keeps His promises.  Let’s look at His words to Israel in Exodus 6.  

 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’” 9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor. 10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.” 12 But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?”

Think of all of the promises God is making in His statement.  He will rescue Israel from the Egyptians and their slavery.  He will bring them to the land He promised to Abraham all those years ago.  He will be their God forever and they will be His people.  The people of Israel know of the amazing works of God.  Despite this all they can see is the current struggle in front of them so they don’t believe or listen.  We can have the same challenge in our lives today.  Think of all of the amazing promises we have from God throughout scripture.  Sometimes, we forget these promises because of whatever is in front of our face at the time.  Our worries, hurts, fears, and circumstances cause us to forget God’s great promises to us.  Take some time today and think of all of the great promises of God.  Rest in them and know that God always keeps His promises. 

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

Moses leaves Midian and heads to Egypt.  He meets up with Aaron and they together go to meet with Pharaoh.  I’m sure this was an interesting reunion. While I’m not sure that Pharaoh and Moses were best friends like in the movie Prince of Egypt, they certainly would have grown up in the palace together.  God wants Moses to perform signs and tell Pharaoh that his son is going to die.  Moses takes a gentler approach.  Let’s look at the account and Pharaoh’s response in Exodus 5.

Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness.’” 2 Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.” 3 Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Now let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, or he may strike us with plagues or with the sword.” 4 But the king of Egypt said, “Moses and Aaron, why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!” 5 Then Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are now numerous, and you are stopping them from working.” 6 That same day Pharaoh gave this order to the slave drivers and overseers in charge of the people: 7 “You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. 8 But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don’t reduce the quota. They are lazy; that is why they are crying out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Make the work harder for the people so that they keep working and pay no attention to lies.”

Perhaps Pharaoh is angry at Moses.  Maybe Moses doesn’t deliver God’s message or show the signs yet because of his own feelings for Pharaoh.  We don’t really know.  The only thing we know is that Moses does not completely obey God and things get worse for the Israelites not better.  This becomes a pattern that lasts the rest of the OT for the people of Israel.  I think that often we do what Moses does here.  Even as Moses is obeying God he is doing it his way instead of God’s way.  God gave him clear instructions and Moses thinks that he has a better plan.  The truth is that the Bible tells us over and over again not to trust in our understanding but to do things God’s way.  He even promises to make our paths straight when we do.  Lot’s of pain and trouble can be saved if we simply follow God from the start.  I pray that we will be a people who look to follow God’s paths and not our own.

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

I’d like to spend a little bit of time on the scene with Moses speaking to God through a burning bush.  It is amazing just by itself but the conversation is fascinating as well. I’ve included a portion of it from Exodus 3 but I encourage you to finish the story in Exodus 4 as well.  One thing that I find astonishing is Moses’ reluctance to God even as He is speaking to him through a burning bush.  I don’t know about you but I feel like I would do whatever a burning bush told me or asked of me.  Let’s look at the passage together today. 

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.” 13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. …18 “The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand compels him. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike the Egyptians with all the wonders that I will perform among them. After that, he will let you go. 21 “And I will make the Egyptians favorably disposed toward this people, so that when you leave you will not go empty-handed. 22 Every woman is to ask her neighbor and any woman living in her house for articles of silver and gold and for clothing, which you will put on your sons and daughters. And so you will plunder the Egyptians.”

God is promising Moses a great outcome.  He answers all his questions and still Moses resists.  If we are honest we all at times resist that which we know God wants in our lives.  We often choose our path instead of His.  Moses is comfortable right where he is.  He is starting a family, has a job, things are going just fine.  He would prefer to stay in his comfort than have to confront his past and what he knows will be a difficult challenge.  It’s easy to point the finger at Moses as he is arguing with a burning bush but don’t we do the same thing.  We stay in our comfort zones instead of sharing our faith like we know the resurrected Jesus asks us to.  We avoid confrontation and hard conversations so we can remain in our comfort zone and avoid the pain of our past.  We all have a little bit of Moses in us.  My prayer is that we will, like Moses, get past our fears and watch God do great things in and through our lives.  

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave

We continue along in the life of Moses today.  After he is found amongst the reeds we have nothing of his life until he is grown. (unless the movie Prince of Egypt counts).  We pick up the story with Moses aware that he is from Israel.  Let’s look at it together today. 

One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. 12 Looking this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. 13 The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, “Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?” 14 The man said, “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid and thought, “What I did must have become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well. 16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock. 17 Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock. 18 When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, “Why have you returned so early today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” 20 “And where is he?” Reuel asked his daughters. “Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat.”21 Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage.

Moses clearly has a longing to see his people free and as he sees their struggle he kills an Egyptian.  He is eventually found out and he flees to Midian.  This leads to Moses meeting his wife, Zipporah.  He goes along and picks up a whole new life in Midian.  He probably would have lived the rest of his life there, but God has other plans for Moses.  Big plans.  Have you ever thought about what might be different if Moses ignored the burning bush (spoiler alert).  I wonder sometimes if there aren’t smaller burning bushes in our own life that we miss as we go through the business of life.  God wants to use each and every one of us two do great things.  Things to build His kingdom, to reach others for Jesus.  How often do we miss out on the blessing of that because we are caught up in our own agenda and plans.  Be on the lookout for those great things that God wants to do in and through your life. 

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave