PSA Bible Reading Challenge 2023-2024

I’m tempted to avoid the whole discussion of why these laws were really necessary and what application is there for us in this day and age, but I won’t.  There is no justifying the disparity of how men and women are treated in this chapter.  There is no justifying the acceptance and the institutionalization of slavery in the Israelite community.  In Moses’ time and before, and then even after, slavery was a part of life.  It was wrong, but it was a part of life.  Slavery tended to be institutionalized by nation states who took over certain regions and those natives would be taken as property and booty for the war. 

It was also common for slaves to come from afar and brought into the urban regions of those nation states which are in charge.  You think of Babylon and how it took the nation of Israel out of its promised land and to its own land and there the Israelites were slaves.  Look at Psalm 137 and you will see that Scripture which speaks of the treatment that the Israelites had at the hands of the Babylonians, forced to sing in a foreign land.  Moses and his people were used to being slaves in Egypt. 

You would think that if you have experienced atrocities against you then you would be less likely to commit them yourself.  But that is never historically the case.  In the genocides that have taken place they are usually a response against a people whom those in power feel have harmed or committed terrible acts against them.  Now that they are in power it is time to give them a taste of their own medicine.  That is not what our Savior commands, but reading these laws in Deuteronomy one would think it is okayed by God, it is not. 

As a result we can categorize these Scriptures as God’s command for a certain time to a certain people simply because they are not consistent with all of Scripture which speaks much more uniformly about a God who would never allow or imagine that a person would actually own another.  That is not in any way loving your neighbor as yourself.  That has to be a 21st century application to a Scripture which seems to state something very different.  Likewise we see how women were so very differently treated in Scriptural times.  As we take the stance that in the eyes of God there is no male and no female, there is no hierarchy or order of gender in God’s eyes, then these Scriptures in Deuteronomy give us an insight as to how a theocracy was run by the Israelites.  It gives us insight into the people of God of the Old Covenant.  We give thanks to God that the New Covenant came in Christ which shows us a very different way to live.

We find ourselves receiving the 10 Commandments in this chapter.  If you wanted to see another place in the Bible where we find these commandments you can look at Deuteronomy 5.  I’m not going to do a cross section of these two renditions, we will do that when we get to Deuteronomy.  But read the commandments one more time.  What I notice in this section is that God is speaking not only to Moses, but to the entire people of Israel.  The commandments are clear and there is no wiggle room in them.  These commandments address some of the primary problems that the people of Israel were facing at that time.

They had come from a land where gods were abundant.  It is important to hear and to remember that there is only one God.  There is no other God, but only one.  That brings us to the statement that people often say when they compare religions: but there is only one god, right?  The answer is yes, there is only one God.  But the God that Christians worship is not the same god as that worshiped by the religion of Islam or that worshiped by the Jewish people.  I think if you were to ask a Muslim or a Jew if Jesus Christ is God, they would say no.  We believe that Jesus is God.  Now, is it possible that one of us, or all of us, or some of us is/are wrong?  Absolutely it is possible, and I will even go out on a limb and say that it is probable.  I believe that Jesus is God as depicted in Scripture.  I believe that so I believe that this is correct.  With my belief I am not condemning anyone to damnation (as if I had the power to do that, if I did, I would condemn them to grace and mercy instead.  That’s just the way I roll.)  But I don’t think there needs to be a scandal if a believer in the religion of Islam thinks Christians are wrong in their understanding of God, or if a Jew thinks that a Muslim is wrong in their depiction of God, or if a Christian understands God differently from the way a Jew does.  We are not worshiping the same god.  We believe differently about god.  So there is only one God, and one of us, or all of us, or a few of us is/are wrong.  I hope that doesn’t bring scandal, not sure how it could.  

But this was how the early people of God community had to identify themselves.  They were different from the people around them, and they had no problem in proclaiming that and understanding that.  We should have the same courage.

We find ourselves in the precursor to Moses receiving the 10 Commandments.  One of my favorite times of the week is Friday when I lead the preschool in chapel.  During the year they are able to learn the 10 commandments and hopefully they will have that in front of them for their entire lives.  

But let’s not forget the context in which Moses receives these commandments.  It is really a test for the people of Israel that they will be willing to promise God that they will always follow him.  This chapter sets up the people of Israel as the people of God in perpetuity.  God tells them: “If you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be…for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.” (vs.5-6)  The people then respond (vs.8):  “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.”  So at least it starts off well.  God promises that they will be his people in perpetuity, and the people promise that they will do everything that God commands.

Moses goes up and down the mountain with no problem in this chapter and tells the people all the messages that God gives to them.  The people see the Lord, see his presence on the holy mountain, and at this stage it doesn’t seem like we have a problem. 

I want to warn you that over  these next few chapters we will be reading quite  a few of the laws of Israel, so just hang in there.  We will be getting to the golden calf soon enough. 

One of the hallmarks of the Presbyterian system, which really works by the way, is the presence of committees.  The purpose of committees is to take decision making away from an individual and place it in the hands of the people themselves.  Every single program and event that takes place in this church has, or at least should have, a home in a committee.  That provides ownership, it provides responsibility, it provides oversight.  Moses had a problem.  He was doing all the work himself, and specifically, he was deciding the fate of every single thing that took place within the Israelite community.  If someone stole a neighbor’s newspaper, let’s go to Moses and see what we are supposed to do about it.  If someone murdered a neighbor, let’s go to Moses and see what we are supposed to do about it.  Remember, this is before the law.  There were no guidelines, there were no ten commandments, there was only Moses who led them out of Egypt in the name of the Lord.

Apparently Moses had a relationship with his father-in-law that was one of a mentor-student.  He must have been fairly wealthy.  He provides the elders of Israel with a feast as he brings burnt offerings to the Lord.  Don’t overlook that.  He is a foreigner who worshiped foreign gods, so in a sense he is saying: “Moses, you were right, the God of Israel is the one and only true God.”  This is a huge step for someone like Jethro.  He is someone who is very grateful that Moses was able to bring his daughter and his grandchildren out of Egypt.  In that context he is able to speak to Moses and provide him with invaluable insight.  He approaches it not as a suggestion, but he says: “What you are doing is not good.”  There is no mincing of words here, Moses, you are doing things wrong.  You need to change.

He actually had a point and Moses puts things into action as a result.  

I thought we already heard this story but with food instead of water.  Once again the people of Israel complain because they feel that they do not have their needs supplied.  Last chapter it was food, this chapter it is water.  But just in chapter 15 we see the Lord provide water miraculously for the entire people of Israel.  This time, however, the complaint is identical to the one about food.  It would have been better if we had just died in Egypt.  Why did you bring us out here in the wilderness to die?  

I love the names of the places that he gives to the locations where these events take place.  Once he provides the water out of the stone he calls the place Test and Quarrel.  Just so that the people would not forget that it was here where you put the Lord to the test and you are fortunate because God smiled upon you.  Don’t do it again.  This is the place  where you quarreled with me because you didn’t believe that God would provide you with water.  Don’t do it again.

We are then introduced to Joshua for the first time in Exodus.  He is the leader of the Israelite military and he leads the people into battle and into victory.  Because of God’s intervention he is able to overcome the Amalekites.  They will  be a constant thorn in the side.  But don’t forget Joshua because he takes front and center in the Bible in the book of…, well, Joshua.  He is the one who eventually leads the people into the promised land.  It is interesting because Moses is never really seen as a military leader.  He was more the philosophical type who spoke on behalf of the Lord.  But then we are going to get a constant introduction of people who are military leaders who will be leading Israel.  We have Joshua, and Saul, and David, and Solomon.  All of them are military leaders.  Even before that you have the Judges who were all military leaders as well.  Don’t forget Samson and Gideon and Deborah.  All judges who led Israel into battle.

We used to see the same thing in our nation’s history.  So many of our leaders, our presidents, served in wars for our country.  That streak ended with Bill Clinton and since then we haven’t had one serving our country.  It has been non partisan.  What is it about serving in the military that provided a sense  of leadership that maybe was emulated and valued?  I am sure it is the fact that the person already was used to making decisions of life and death and as Commander in Chief, notice the title, that goes along with the territory.  

We run across so many stories in Exodus that we have heard at one time, but the details are so very rich.  Here we find ourselves with the story of the manna that the Lord provided the Israelites.  I love the origin of the word.  It means literally in Hebrew: “what is it?”  In Hebrew you would say Man-hu?  But notice that it is not just the white flaky substance  that covers the ground which is the miracle, but also the quails which the Lord had promised.  So the people of Israel have both bread  and meat to comfort and support them as they make their way through the wilderness.

Yes, God provides, but notice how it is only after the Israelites complain bitterly, to the point where they say that it would have been better to have remained in Egypt than to die in the wilderness.  There might be some hyperbole there, but the Israelites are really not happy until the Lord provides.  So,  I guess we forgot the whole crossing of the Red Sea, or did we forget the passover, or the other 9 plagues that helped to liberate the people of Israel?  Either way, they say that it would have been better to die in Egypt, at least they wouldn’t have had to do this long trek.  The accusation was that they were going to die of hunger.  They couldn’t complain about dying of thirst, because they had already done that and the Lord provided.  Here is another opportunity for the Lord to provide.

In the midst of the provision we still find the consistent disobedience by the Israelites.  Only take up as much as you need.  They took too much and so it was filled with worms.  It was such a significant event in the life of the people of Israel that Moses is commanded to keep some of that white stuff for posterity sake.  He does.  We often need reminders of the Lord’s faithfulness and at times when we look for them it seems as if they have melted with the morning sun.  We forget what God has done for us just as quickly as the Israelites did.  It is a constant in our lives.

We have a song of praise and celebration after the Lord delivered the Israelites from the Egyptians.  It is led by Moses and the entire congregation of Israel sang this song to the Lord according to vs.1.  It is a song of triumph and a song of celebration which recognized the feat done by the Lord to overcome the powerful nation of Israel.  

Starting at vs.20 we see Miriam is attributed as the one who led  the people with tambourine and dance.  You did get that, right?  Miriam led the people of Israel in a dance with the tambourine and the people joined in.  It was the first example of contemporary worship that we have in Scripture.  That is a bit of a joke, but we definitely do not see the people  of Israel seated in their pews as Miriam is dancing while celebrating his conquest.  I can see the entire nation up and moving about grateful for what God had done for them.

Then just as quickly as they are celebrating, we find them complaining because there is no water.  There was water but it was Marah.  Remember reading Ruth and when Naomi returned with her daughter in law she said do not call me anything but Marah, for she was bitter for all that she had lost.  Here Moses is able to use a piece of wood to make the water potable.  It is a miracle and not something that I am going to try to explain away.  Some people like to spend a lot of time explaining exactly what it was that turned the water sweet.  I’m content to say that it was the Lord.

As the Lord leads the people of Israel he promises them that they shall not suffer any of the plagues that the people of Egypt had suffered.  It is a similar promise that is made after the flood to Noah and his family.  I will not cause this to happen again.  God is gracious and kind and abounding in steadfast love.

I think we need to begin this day with a picture:

What is fascinating to me is the length of time that it took to cross the sea and the length of time it took for the Egyptians to die in the sea.  If you read the Scripture again you will see that there was a stand off between the two camps because God got in the middle of them with a cloud.  As soon as the Israelites began to cross the sea after God had parted it, we read in vs. 22 that the Egyptians pursued them.

The parting of the sea is fascinating in and of itself.  I believe it happened.  Notice, that God didn’t just make it happen, like when Jesus stills the storm.  Rather, we read that God used a wind to make it happen.  He didn’t have to do that.  God could have just made it happen.  But He didn’t, He chose to use a wind.

It makes sense that the Israelites crossed the sea under the cover of darkness.  What we read is that as the sun came up, they were still trying to cross the Red Sea.  At this morning hour God threw the Egyptians into confusion and clogged up their wheels.  After this is when we read that the Israelites cross over safely.  The Egyptians are getting the feeling that something is up, and begin to question whether it is wise or not to pursue the Israelites.  I’m guessing they decide to turn back, but since they are all gummed up they aren’t able to escape in time before the water crashes back in on them tossing them into the sea.  

We finish this chapter with a sigh of relief.  We read in vs. 31 that the people saw the great work that the Lord had done so they believed God and His servant Moses.  Well, it is about time!

Maybe the trek looked something like this:

In my 90 Day Challenge IV folder I have three different maps with three different routes.  There are so many theories as to how the Israelites left Egypt.   But one thing for certain is that the people of Israel were commanded never to forget what it looked like when they did leave Egypt, and what God did for them when they left Egypt.  Once again we read about God commanding Moses to set aside a ritual that would take place once a year.  Ritual is good, it reminds us of God’s amazing grace.  

It is interesting that God spares the Israelites the psychological challenge of facing the Philistines first thing in the morning.  He decides to take them a different way so that they would not become discouraged.  Remember what happens when the spies are sent into the promised land?  This is years later, well they come back discouraged, except for Samuel, of course.  The Lord is trying to avoid that so early in the journey.  We don’t hear a peep from the Egyptians just yet.  Maybe Pharaoh was thinking that they were just going on a three day’s journey like it had been set up to be.  We will hear from them soon enough.

God always leads the way.  A cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night.  It is these passages  that make me think: How could they not have trusted the Lord?  They physically saw him every single day.  Then I remember the uncountable times that I don’t trust the Lord and say: Right, now I remember why they didn’t trust.  We never trust completely.  I would love it if we could trust and obey always.  Yes, I think it is time for a song for that one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm1S-gO1SZM

And so the great plague has arrived.  Notice before the event takes place the Lord lets Moses know that this is going to be when Pharaoh lets you go, so we are going to have an event, a religious event, to celebrate this day.  He sets Moses up with a liturgy that the people of Israel are to follow for the rest of time to commemorate this event of the Passover.  Did you notice that there are many names for this festival?  Is it the Passover, or the festival of unleavened bread?  Regardless of what it is called it is one that is to be celebrated and remembered in a very specific way.

So, once the holiday is established and Moses is shown how it is to be historically celebrated, the plague strikes.  In this rendition of the passover we do not see an angel of death that passes over the people, but rather it is the Lord who strikes the firstborn of every Egyptian.  The only description that we find is seen in vs.23 where we see that the Lord, will prevent the “destroyer” from entering houses of the Israelities.  The one carrying out this task is called the “destroyer”.  There is no angel of death in Exodus as God’s plague kills the first-born of the Egyptians.  It is interesting to note that there is no differentiation between the man on the throne, Pharaoh, and the prisoner in his jail.  They all suffered the same fate.  

The escape of the Israelites is one where they travel nearly 130 miles when they are freed as they go from Rameses which is in Goshen to Succoth.  That is quite a journey when you have 600 men on foot to say nothing of the children and the women.  So you have thousands on this journey along with the livestock.  There is no mention of how the people of Israel felt about this, just that it happened.  That comes  in the following chapters.