EXODUS
12 DAY BIBLE READING PLAN
Day 1 – Satan Fears Your Generation
November 18, 2022 • Brian Barcelona • Exodus 1, Exodus 2, Exodus 3
HIGHLIGHTED VERSE: “and he said, ‘When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.’” - Exodus 1:16 ENCOURAGEMENT: In Exodus 1, before Moses was born, we see something similar happening in this time period that happened in the days of Jesus. As the enemy of the people of God, the Egyptians, were afraid of the Israelites, the people of God, getting too strong. So there was an order from the king that any males that were born were to be killed by the midwives/doctors who were delivering these children. The king knew that there could be an uprising if males were born from the Israelites and he was threatened by the potential of what could come from the people of God. You could also see this in the days of Jesus, as King Herod ordered the babies 2 and under to be slaughtered right before Jesus was born. It’s almost as if the true enemy of God, Satan, knew in the book of Exodus that a deliverer, Moses, was going to be born and he also must have known that in the days of Jesus another deliverer was about to be born. As Moses was a deliverer who walked the people of God out of their chains of slavery, Jesus was the deliverer who walked them out of their chains of sin. As Moses led them through the sea, which drowned Pharaoh's army, Jesus commanded us to be baptized which would drown the old man of sin. What I want you to see in Exodus 1-3 is a common theme of the Old Testament and the New Testament, Satan does not know the future, he did not know who the deliverer would be so instead of targeting one person, he goes after a whole generation. Let this show you that the devil may not know out of your generation, GenZ, who is going to be a deliverer, so he’s trying to take your whole generation out by suicide, depression, immorality, and addictions. Just know that the attack Satan has on your generation shows you one thing, he’s afraid of what good will come from Generation Z. QUESTIONS: - What attacks of the devil have come on your generation? - Why do you think the devil is scared of you becoming all you can be for God? - Can you see now from the Old Testament and the New Testament that Satan destroys generations by destroying children (abortion)? PRAYER: Pray for deliverers to come from your generation, pray that your generation wakes up to the attacks the enemy is putting on them, and pray your generation stands for life.
Day 2 – A God of Promises
November 18, 2022 • Mason Bristol • Exodus 4, Exodus 5, Exodus 6
HIGHLIGHTED VERSE: “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment”. - Exodus 6:6 ENCOURAGEMENT: In Exodus 1, before Moses was born, we see God is a God full of promises. One of the first promises we see God offer is the promise of deliverance to the Israelites. God later delivers them from their bondage because He said He would. Not only does God make all of these promises to us but he ALWAYS follows through. This is what is so amazing about God, so often people promise us things but fail, but God promises us things and NEVER fails. This should give us hope!! Why? Because God promises us peace, His presence, His protection, freedom, and everlasting life!! We should delight in the promises of the Lord and let them be a beacon of hope for our life. Let this be hope for you. You no longer have to be stuck in a state of depression, anxiety, or even addiction. God promises His healing spirit to us by just calling on the name of Jesus and asking for Him. What does this mean? It means you should ask Jesus to fulfill His promises in your life! Give Him permission to begin to work in your life and free you from depression by giving you joy, or freeing you from addiction through His spirit. God promises us to make us new creations once we put our faith and trust in Christ. God’s promises are always offered to you as long as you are breathing. Step into his promises today and ask Him for His life-giving spirit to deliver you from your sinful self and to make you a new creation. QUESTIONS: - Did you know that God made a promise to us: that if we believed in the life of Jesus and made Him the Lord of our life we are promised eternity with Him forever? - How can you best thank God for promising us eternity with Him? - How can you best tell your friends and family about God’s promise to us? PRAYER: - Praise for being a good good father who promises us eternal life. - Thank Him for his grace and forgiveness - Pray that he would deliver you from sin
Day 3 - Let my people go!
November 18, 2022 • Sebastian and Melquea • Exodus 7, Exodus 8, Exodus 9
HIGHLIGHTED VERSE: Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. - Exodus 8:1 ENCOURAGEMENT: From blood to frogs, to hail and fire, we see a number of plagues sent by God in these chapters hitting Egypt! You may be tempted to ask, “why is God going to these great lengths to torment the Egyptians?” Yes, God wanted to demonstrate that He was the one true, unmatched God triumphing over the gods of Egypt. Yes, God was showing His faithfulness to His people Israel that He was who He said He was and He would do what He promised! Yes, God had compassion to free his people from 400 years of suffering in slavery in Egypt. But ultimately God wanted Israel as a people unto Himself that would be free to choose to worship and serve Him only! At the cross and through His Resurrection, Jesus demonstrated His authority over all the forces of darkness! Jesus declared to the devil: let my people go once and for all by defeating the power of sin and death that had held humanity in bondage! Upon His Resurrection, Jesus triumphed as Lord of Lords and Kings of Kings with all authority on earth and in heaven! (Matthew 28:18) It was God’s great love for you that He sent Jesus to rescue you, so that you would not be a slave to sin, fear, and death for eternity but to be adopted into the family of God and be free to serve God! God invested everything by giving Jesus to die in your place that you may be free and live in union and fellowship with God! God wanted for you to live in intimacy with Him; for Him to speak to you, to hear your heart, to guide you, and provide for all your needs. Today, in Christ you have access to walk in this kind of intimacy with God daily, moment by moment as you develop friendship with the Holy Spirit. The truth is that you and I are not the end all! The ultimate purpose of our redemption and salvation is that you and I may worship and serve God with our lives! You have been saved to serve God! You have been set free to worship God! You have been delivered to deliver others! That's the true purpose; not only to be free for freedom's sake, but to surrender our lives and pour it back unto God daily in worship and obedience! At the end of the day, it’s all about Him and He alone deserves all the glory! Think about it, we get to worship and serve the God of the universe! That’s our invitation today, to co-partner with the Holy Spirit in seeing His Kingdom advance through our lives! QUESTIONS: - What are some sins or strongholds in your life that may be holding you back from fully worshiping and serving God? - What are some areas where God is calling you to serve Him in your family, school, church, or community? PRAYER: God today, we pray that your Name would be known as Lord and God and King and Supreme and loving and good and righteous and holy, because of our lives. God, help our lives to be a display of your glory. Please use us today to make your grace and your glory known in the world around us. God give us the grace and strength to serve and obey you, in Jesus’ Name, Amen!
Day 5 – The Red Sea Crossing
November 18, 2022 • Sebastian and Melquea • Exodus 13, Exodus 14, Exodus 15
HIGHLIGHTED VERSE: “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.” - Exodus 14:13 ENCOURAGEMENT: Trapped against the Red Sea, the Israelites faced the incoming Egyptian army sweeping in for the kill. When things seemed hopeless, God parted the Red Sea, allowing Israel to cross through and drowning the Egyptians. 400 years of Israel's slavery in Egypt was terminated in this event as Israel came out of the Red Sea free at last! It took this monumental event to convince Israel that their masters were dead and that they were no longer slaves. The Israelites going through the Red Sea is representative of Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, and these are all a picture of the new life that we can have in Christ. It is through Jesus' death, burial and resurrection that God delivers us from our past. Just like Israel in Egypt, we are all born slaves- slaves to sin. From birth we are trapped by the sinful nature which made us slaves to wrong beliefs, fears, bad habits, bad attitudes, and self-centeredness. Just as God set Israel free from the bondage of slavery in Egypt as they passed through the Red Sea, God can set us free from the slavery of sin, shame and fear by us being born again. (Romans 6:5,6) Jesus died on a cross for us. The Bible tells us that we were baptized into Jesus' death as He disarmed the power of sin and death from our lives and we were resurrected in Christ in grace, freedom, and power. No longer are we slaves to sin and fear but, we are the righteous children of God! (Romans 6:14,18) No matter what bound you in your past, whether it was porn, drugs, depression etc, God has severed its power over you. You are free indeed to live under your new Lord and master, Christ in you (John 8:36/Col 1:27). In Christ, God has made a way to set us free from our past and our failures. He has set us free to not only bring us out of death, but to also bring us in Himself, into newness of life, into salvation, freedom, His Presence, a new life and a new beginning. QUESTIONS: - What are some things that God has delivered you from? - What are some areas of your life where you are believing God for greater deliverance? - What are some testimonies in your life where God came through in impossible situations? PRAYER: Father in Jesus’ Name, I thank you that I am a new creation in Christ that you have set me free from being a slave to my former sins. I repent in every area of my life where I have allowed my past to influence me and limit me from walking in your identity, purposes, and calling. I receive your grace, power, and revelation to walk in the fullness of all you have for my life.
Day 6 – Let’s Get This Bread
November 18, 2022 • JD Here • Exodus 18, Exodus 19, Exodus 16, Exodus 17
HIGHLIGHTED VERSE: “Morning by morning they gathered it, each as much as he could eat; but when the sun grew hot, it melted." - Exodus 16:21 (ESV) “Jesus then said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” They said to him, “Sir, give us this bread always.” Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” - John 6:32-35 (ESV) ENCOURAGEMENT: esus is the manna from Heaven. He is God’s provision for mankind. What does this mean for us? If we know that Jesus is the bread of life, then the question for us today is, what are we feeding ourselves with? Are we healthy, famished, or malnourished? Just like the Israelites, we are meant to feed on Jesus every day, for He is our daily bread. When we go through trials and hardships, we get our strength and nourishment from our relationship with Christ. We need Jesus daily. He is essential and the very reason we are alive. The manna was accessible for the Israelites every morning. Thanks to Jesus' perfect work on the cross, we don’t have to struggle, but instead, we have full access to Him 24/7. We can approach God boldly, freely, and easily. For 40 years, the Israelites lived from manna. It was all that their bodies needed. In the same way, Jesus is all that we need and what this spiritually malnourished world needs. Talk to Jesus today. Don’t forget He is your daily bread and share this bread (Jesus) with someone. QUESTIONS: - Where do you see Jesus in the next chapters? Exodus 17-19 (hint: re-read John 6:32-35, John 4:13-14, John 19:31-37) - Where do you need Jesus to show up in your life today? - What does it mean to you that Jesus is your daily bread? PRAYER: God, thank you for your nearness! I know that when I’m weak, you are still close to me, accessible, and available. Help me to draw near to you, even when I'm struggling. I want to seek your kingdom first and share the good news with the people around me. In Jesus’ name, amen!
Day 7 - Jesus the Commandment Giver
November 18, 2022 • Pastor Andy • Exodus 20, Exodus 21, Exodus 22, Exodus 23
HIGHLIGHTED VERSE: And God spoke all these words: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.” - Exodus 20:1-3 Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span. - Exodus 23:25-26 ENCOURAGEMENT: Sometimes it can be hard to hear a bunch of rules because it can feel like such a downer. The only thing you hear is, “don’t do this or that.” And it makes you squirm because you feel boxed in without any “fun” in life. That’s how many people feel about God and the 10 Commandments. But, was God just trying to get people to do what He wanted just to show that He was God - bigger and stronger? Or, was there something else going on? If we consider the second verse above we can see that God had good motives. He actually wanted the people of Israel to be blessed and He knew they would be blessed if they worshiped Him and followed His commands. So, He was really telling (aka “commanding”) them how to live so that they would be blessed. Jesus, who was actually the one who gave the 10 commandments to Israel (Colossians 1:15-20), did something very similar when He was walking on the earth. He said, “If you love me, keep my commands.”(John 14:15) and “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:10-14) It’s easy to misunderstand and misinterpret those in authority over us - those who can tell us what to do. Because we want to do what we want to do, when we want to do it. We think anyone telling us to do something different is, somehow, against us. It takes trust to let someone tell us what to do. In order to trust someone, especially someone in authority, we need to know them and know that they are trustworthy. Please consider that God is someone who is good, that He’s not just wanting to boss you around but actually wants what’s best for you. QUESTIONS: - Why do you think God is giving the people of Israel these 10 commandments and all the other laws? - How do you feel about being “commanded”? Why? - How does giving commands express love? - How does obeying a command express love? - Why does Jesus tell us that if we love Him, we will obey His commandments? - What are the blessings that come from obeying Jesus? PRAYER: Psalms 119:18;33- “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law. Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. How I long for your precepts! In your righteousness preserve my life.
Day 8 – A Sanctuary for God
November 18, 2022 • Kala Boss • Exodus 24, Exodus 25, Exodus 26
HIGHLIGHTED VERSE: “Have them construct a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.” - Exodus 25:8 ENCOURAGEMENT: God’s desire is for a relationship with us. He desires to draw near and to dwell among us. This is crazy. The God of the universe, the One who simply spoke a word and brought the world into existence, the One who is fully fulfilled and needs nothing from us, actually desires us. And it’s not just an abstract desire that He says or wishes for, it’s something that He puts action to and makes a reality. He told Moses in Exodus 25:8, “Have them,” talking about the Israelite people, “Have them, construct a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them.” Can you hear God’s heart in this? Can you see His desire to draw near and that the motive behind instructing the people to construct a sanctuary was so that He could dwell among them? And then in Jesus, we see the fullness of this and fulfillment of God dwelling among us through Him actually making us His sanctuary. I Corinthians 3:16 says, “Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” In Exodus, God instructs the people to create a sanctuary so that He might dwell among them as a picture, a shadow of what was to come through Jesus where in Him we now are His sanctuary and that His Spirit dwells within us. QUESTIONS: - Where do you see Jesus and God’s heart in these chapters? - How can you live as a sanctuary for God, hosting His Spirit within you? PRAYER: Ask Holy Spirit to make you aware of His presence within you, thank God for His heart and desire to dwell among us, and ask Him to lead you in drawing others into knowing His love.
Day 9 – God’s Desire
November 18, 2022 • Timothy Bruce • Exodus 29, Exodus 30, Exodus 27, Exodus 28
HIGHLIGHTED VERSE: “I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.” - Exodus 29:45-46 ENCOURAGEMENT: In these chapters of Exodus, you can see God giving clear instructions to Aaron on how the priestly ministry should be conducted. People will see this from different perspectives, but it is important and urgent that you see this through the lens of God’s heart, desire, and love for us. As you see in this highlighted verse, God expresses His intent in all of the instructions He gave. He wants to dwell with us. He wants us to remember Him, that we belong to Him. But, it was impossible to dwell with God without being holy and perfect, because God is holy and perfect. This is so that we could see how much we need Jesus to be holy! Today, as you look at the world around you, you’ll see how offensive this truth is. Will you allow your heart to be tender towards God? As you see the disgust this generation has for authority, the hatred towards the idea of being told what to do and belonging to God; will your heart join them? No! Take time today to invite God into where your heart has become hardened. His ultimate goal is to be with you and to have a relationship with you. Jesus prophesied that as the wickedness in the world increases, the love of most would grow cold. As followers of Jesus, the increasing lawlessness should provoke us to remain tender towards God and people. Look at God’s desire for you, giving His son so that you could enter into an eternal romance with the Creator! QUESTIONS: - Do you see God’s heart in these chapters? Be honest and ask God to reveal where you don’t trust His character. - Does your heart get offended at all the rules God has given? - How does seeing God’s ultimate plan and desire for you change how you read Exodus? PRAYER: PRAYER: Father, I invite you into the hardened areas of my heart. I ask that you would show me where I don’t trust You, and lead me into the truth. I see in Exodus that You want to dwell with me, and You want to be my God. I want you to be my God too! Thank you for everything that You have done so that I could be in love with You. Please remove any unbelief or distraction in my life that prevents me from walking in what You died for me to walk in! Amen.
Day 10 – From Slaves to Sons
November 18, 2022 • Bailey Redmond • Exodus 31, Exodus 32, Exodus 33
HIGHLIGHTED VERSE: “Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer, she took for him a basket made of bulrushes and daubed it with bitumen and pitch. She put the child in it and placed it among the reeds by the river bank. And his sister stood at a distance to know what would be done to him. Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.” - Exodus 2:1-3 ENCOURAGEMENT: Have you ever felt rejected, abandoned, unwanted? I have. I know this pang of pain far too well. When I was born, my biological Father chose to not be in my life. He claimed to have wanted nothing to do with me, and my Mom was left on her own to raise me. Thankfully, my mom is the best mom I could have ever asked for! But, the ache of rejection haunted me even as a child. I grew up believing that if God was real, He would never want me, or He would abandon me too. Who did I belong to? What does it even mean to be a Daughter? Who am I? I struggled so deeply with my identity, and felt like I did not belong anywhere. Have you ever felt this way? I know so many of us do! When I finally surrendered my life to Jesus in my 8th grade year, the first thing that stunned me about Jesus was the way He loved me and claimed me as His own. All my life, I had felt abandoned, and fatherless… unworthy of God’s love. But, in my deepest place of pain, He came, scooped me out of my darkness, and called me His own Daughter. I remember the first time I had ever felt His love. I was broken, and at my wit’s end. Alone in my room, I cried out to Him in desperation and suddenly, I tangibly felt His arms wrap around me. Literally! I felt a supernatural warm presence come around me. I knew it was God. It was the first time I had ever felt the love of a Father in my entire life. I finally belonged! It’s the greatest feeling in the world to know you belong to the God of the Universe, and you can truly call Him Dad! Even if the whole world rejects you & turns it back on you, you have a Perfect Father who promises to never leave you or forsake you. Imagine how Moses felt. Here he was, as a Hebrew (Jewish) baby being surrendered by his own Mother, who was trying to save his life. By the end of Exodus 1, the pharaoh of Egypt had decreed that all the Hebrew boy babies were to be drowned at birth. When Moses' mother gave birth she decided to hide her son, in hopes that his life would be spared. After a few months, baby Moses became too big for her to hide safely where they lived, so she decided to place him in a caulked wicker basket. She placed him in the basket, in a strategic spot within the reeds that grew along the sides of the https://www.thoughtco.com/nile-river-nile-delta-in-egypt-111649. She did this all with the hope that he would be found, and his life would be spared from the decree of death over the land. To ensure the baby's safety, Moses's sister Miriam watches from a hiding place nearby, as baby Moses floats down the Nile. His mother knew that her baby’s life was at stake under the oppressive hand of the Egyptians. Her only option was to send her baby boy down the Nile river in hopes that he would end up in the hands of a kind Egyptian, or that she would be spared of having to witness the death that may come of him. Floating down the river, little baby Moses's crying alerted one of the pharaoh's daughters who took the baby. When it is clear the princess is planning to keep the child, Moses' sister Miriam comes out from hiding. She asks the princess if she would like a Hebrew midwife. The princess agrees and so Miriam arranges to have the real mother get paid to nurse her own child, who now lives among the Egyptian royalty. Moses who was originally a Hebrew baby is now adopted by an Egyptian princess, and will be raised Egyptian. Talk about an identity crisis! Although Moses was placed in a basket and sent down a river away from his family & culture, he was never truly abandoned. God’s hand was upon him the entire time, even as a baby. Even in this moment, God was there. God was orchestrating a much greater story and purpose. This Hebrew baby boy would soon grow up to become the Deliverer of the Jews. He would lead out an enslaved people from bondage, into the promises of God! The Jewish people would soon go from slaves, into Sons of God. God was writing His story, even in the face of rejection and abandonment. God drew him out of the water, and was preparing him for what was to come. But, he wouldn’t see this perspective until he encounters God later in Exodus 3 through a burning bush. Maybe, just maybe, the rejection you have faced in your life is being used by God to deliver many people out of the hands of the enemy! Your deepest places of pain & ache will become your greatest places of authority and hope for others, just like with Moses. Cling to your Perfect Father. The pain from your past does not determine the trajectory of your future, because your times are in His hand. He writes the best stories, so trust that every broken piece of your story will be redeemed by the love of a Perfect Father. He claims you as His own. You are no longer a slave to rejection, abandonment, and sin… You are a child of God! Romans 8:15, “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” QUESTIONS: - Describe who God is as a Father to you. What is He like? Why do you love Him? - Can you recount times where you experienced pain in your life that has been used to glorify God later in your story? - Do you relate to Moses’s story? - Read Romans 8! What stood out to you & how can you apply it to your life? PRAYER: Jesus, thank You that I belong to You. Thank you for calling me Your own, and that I am Your child. It is my greatest joy to be Yours! Thank you for loving me, and taking me out of slavery! I refuse to believe that the rejection I have faced in my past determines my future. You write my story, and I trust You. I love You. Amen!
Day 11 – Resting in Jesus
November 18, 2022 • JD Here, Bailey Redmond • Matthew 12:8, Ephesians 2:8–9, Hebrews 4:9, Exodus 35:1–2
HIGHLIGHTED VERSE: Exodus 35:1-2 “Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, ‘These are the things the Lord has commanded you to do: For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the Lord.’” Matthew 12:8 “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Matthew 12:8 “For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Hebrews 4:9 “There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; ENCOURAGEMENT: What does “sabbath” mean? The Hebrew word “shabbat” was the word "rest" in the Old Testament. The Sabbath would later become part of the Law of Moses, which means the Jewish people were to do no work on Saturday. “Jesus is our sabbath” — what this means is that we can rest in Jesus Christ, knowing that our salvation does not depend on our sacrifices, good deeds, works, and efforts but on Jesus' work on the cross. Just as the Israelites rested on the Sabbath, we too can rest in freedom from living under the works of the law. Instead, Jesus’ sacrifice has paid the price for our salvation. You can’t earn your salvation and you don’t have to... instead rest in the truth that Jesus is where you find rest. He lived the perfect and sinless life for us. God is immutable, and His love for you doesn’t change based on performance. In another way, Sabbath isn’t just a heart posture - God also invites us to physically take a sabbath. Have a day of rest! The Jewish people took a day off from work as a physical representation of an inner posture. The purpose of a Sabbath isn’t just for more “me” time, or for laziness, but an opportunity to rest in Him, and to enjoy Him. Jesus literally made it a COMMAND to come & rest in Him. To Abide! Like you may have read in previous sections within this devotional, if God made a point to place the sabbath within the ten commandments, it must be important to Him. The Ten commandments was the standard of righteousness placed before God’s people. Sabbath is important! God considered Sabbath crucial enough to make it His command. I have heard a friend once say, “Taking a sabbath is trusting that God can do more with 6 days, than I can do with 7 days.” Can you trust God that He can accomplish more in your rest, than in even your best abilities? Work may be an idol if rest feels like a sin. Our own ability & strength may be an idol to us if we feel like God needs our help. He doesn’t need us! But, He sure does want us and chooses to invite us into His way. He is inviting us into Sabbath. We have the honor of resting in the finished work of the cross in every area of our life! What a joy. QUESTIONS: - How are you going to rest in Jesus from now on? (ie. trust Jesus with a situation that has you worried) - What are 3 things you feel worried/stressed about right now, and how are you going to surrender control to Jesus today? - Where do you see Jesus in these chapters in Exodus? - What does sabbath mean to you? PRAYER: (here are some prayer points — open your heart, make it personal) - Think of 3-5 things that has you worried/stressed - Surrender the “feeling” of wanting to be in control - Thank God for… (fill in the blink) - Ask Jesus to help/remind you that HE is where you find rest
Day 12 – Jesus Our Great High Priest
November 18, 2022 • Janelle K • Exodus 37, Exodus 38, Exodus 39, Exodus 40
HIGHLIGHTED VERSE: Exodus 39:7 “He fastened these stones on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod as a reminder that the priest represents the people of Israel. All this was done just as the Lord has commanded Moses.” Hebrews 4:14-16 “So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” 1 Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” ENCOURAGEMENT: Whenever I read genealogies (the family lines of people) in the Bible or all of the instructions on building a tabernacle, my first tendency is to skip it, read it fast, or check out altogether. Yet, God saw these details so important that they were recorded and included in His Word - right along with truth like Jesus dying on the cross and being raised from the dead. With that in mind, it must be pretty important so let’s not skip these chapters thinking they are just a bunch of random details and instead ask the Holy Spirit to show us how these details matter to us today! When reading Exodus 37-40, two things stand out to me. First, God is a God of details! Look at how specific every detail is explained in the creation of the tabernacle and the preparation of the priest’s clothes. If the God who created us cared this much about the details of a building and an outfit, how much more does He care about the details in our lives?! In Exodus 39, it is noted that the priest’s garment had stones to remind him of the people he represented before God. This is wild to me because in Hebrews, the Bible tells us that Jesus is our High Priest. The Bible says that God remembers His people and that Jesus is at the right hand of the Father in Heaven interceding for us. We see in the Old Testament, that priests had a reminder of the people they represent on their robe and we see in the New Testament that Jesus sits at the right hand of the Father representing us and interceding for us. How amazing that God cares about every detail! We see His care for us in Exodus as He reminded the Priests who they represented to God. The Bible tells us that God remembers His people and He remembers His promises. Today, be encouraged that Jesus is your High Priest, He remembers YOU, and He is interceding for YOU today at the right hand of God in Heaven. You are seen, you are loved, and you are cared for by the God who created you and He cares about every detail in your life! QUESTIONS: - What details of your life are overwhelming you right now? Take a moment and talk to God about those things as He cares for you and every detail of your life. - Do you see how the priest is reminded of the people he represents when he approaches God? Do you see how this could foreshadow our great High Priest, Jesus? PRAYER: - Jesus, I know that you care about the details of my life. Today, I ask for your direction, wisdom, and peace about ______ (present a detail in your life that is overwhelming you today). - Holy Spirit, I ask that you would reveal to me where you have been in the deep details of my life. I know you are a good God who cares for me and I want to see how you have been with me, even when I have felt alone. - Jesus, I thank you that you care for me and the details of my life. I thank you that you are a good God, I thank you that I can trust in you. I choose to acknowledge your presence in my life, even when the details don’t make sense to me. I thank you that you are greater than any circumstance I face and I thank you that I don’t face anything alone as you are with me.